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A29737 A chronicle of the Kings of England, from the time of the Romans goverment [sic] unto the raigne of our soveraigne lord, King Charles containing all passages of state or church, with all other observations proper for a chronicle / faithfully collected out of authours ancient and moderne, & digested into a new method ; by Sr. R. Baker, Knight. Baker, Richard, Sir, 1568-1645. 1643 (1643) Wing B501; ESTC R4846 871,115 630

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and heire Sir Humfry Bo●rchier sonne and heire to the Lord Berners and divers other knights and gentlemen On the Earls part were slaine the Earle himselfe the Marqu●ss● Montacute and three and twenty knights of whom Sir William Tyrrell was one The Duke of Somerset and the Earle of Oxford fled into VVales to Iasper Earle of Pembro●ke The Duke of Exceter being strucken down and so wounded that he was left for dead amongst other the dead bodies because he was not k●own but comming to himselfe he got up and escaped to VVestminster and there took Sanctuary The dead bodies of the Earle and Marquesse were brought to London in a Coffin and by the space of three dayes lay open-faced in the Cathedrall Church of St. Paul and then buried with their Ancestours in the Priory of Bissam This Earle of VVarwick was Richard Nevill sonne and heire of Richard Nevill Earle of Salisbury who married the daughter of Richard Beauchamp the sixth Earle of Warwick and in her right was Earle of Warwick in his own of Sali●bury he was also Lord Monthermer great Chamberlaine and high Admirall of England Lord Warden of the North Marches towards Scotland and high Steward of the Dutchy of La●caster he had issue two Daughters Isabell married to George Duke of Clarence and Ann● ●●rst married to Prince Edward king Henry the sixths Sonne and after to Richard Duke of Glocester Wee may here observe a Constellation of disastrous influences concurring all to the overthrow of this great Warwicke whereof if any one had been missing the wheele of his fortune had perhaps not turned For if the City of Yorke had not too credulously believed king Edwards Oath not to d●sturbe king Henry or if the Marquesse Mo●tacute had stopped as he might his passage at Pomfret or if the Duke of Clarence had not at the very point of the battell at St. Albans deserted his party and joyned with king Edwards● or if Qu●en Margaret had not by tempest been kept from comming into E●gla●d in time or if the Londoners had not been retrograde and deceived his expectation he had never perhaps been overthrown as he was But Fata viam invenient destiny will finde waies that were never thought of will make way where it findes none and that which is ordained in heaven shall be effected by means of which Earth can take no notice Queen Margaret when it was too late accompanied with Iohn Longstrother Prior of Saint Iohns and the Lord Wenlock with divers Knights and Esquires tooke shipping at Harflew the foure and twentieth of March but by tempest was kept back till the thirteenth of April and then with her sonne Prince Edward shee landed at Weymouth and from thence went to an Abby hard by called Ceern and then to Bewly in Hampshire whither there came unto her Edmund Duke of Somerset and Thomas Courtney Earle of Devonshire with divers others amongst whom it is resolved once more to try their fortune in the field but then the Queen would have had her sonne Prince Edward to be sent into France there to remaine in safety till the next battell were tryed but they being of a contrary minde and specially the Duke of Somerset shee at length consented though afterward she repented it From Bewly she with her sonne and the Earle of Somerset passeth on to Bristow intending with what power they could raise in Glocestershire to march into Wales to joyn with I●sper Earle of Pembrooke who was there making preparation of more forces King E●ward hearing of these things resolves to crosse this Conjunction and followes Queen Margaret with a great Power so close that neere Tewkesbury in Glocestershire he overtakes her forces who resolutely turn and make head against him where Somerset on the Queens part leading the Vaunt-guard performed the part of a valiant Commander but finding his souldiers thro●gh wearines begin to faint and that the Lord Wenlock who had the conduct of the battaile on the Queens part moved no the rode unto him and upbrayding him with cowardise or treachery never staid but with his Pollaxe beat out his brains and now before he could bring in his men to the rescue their Vaward was routed and Iohn Earle of Devonshire with above three thousand of the Queens part were slaine The Queen her selfe Iohn Beaufort the Duke of Somersets brother the Prior of Saint Iohns Sir Gervis Clifton and divers others were taken prisoners all which except the Queen were the next day beheaded At which time Sir Richard Crofts presented to king Edward king Henries Son Edward whom he had taken prisoner to whom king Edward at first shewed no uncourteous countenance but demanding of him how he durst so presumptuously enter into his Realm with Arms and he answering though truly yet unseasonably To recover my Fathers Kingdome and Heritage King Edward with his hand thrust him from him or as some say strooke him with his Gantlet and then presently George Duke of Clarence Richard Duke of Glocester Thomas Grey Marquesse Dorset and William Lord Hastings standing by fell upon him in the plac● and murdred him His body was homely interred with other ordinary Corpses in the Church of the Monastery of the Black-fryers in Tewkesbury After the Victory thus obtained king Edward repaired to the Abbey Church of Tewkesbury to give God thankes for his good successe and finding there a great number of his enemies that were fled thither to save themselves he gave them all free Pardon onely Edmuud Duke of Somerset 〈◊〉 Longstrother Pryor of Saint Iohns Sir Thomas Tressham Sir Gervi● Clifton and divers other Knights and Esquires who were apprehended there and brought before the Duke of Glocester sitting that day as Constable of England and the Duke of Norfolk as Marshall were all arraigned condemned and judged to Dye and accordingly upon the Tuesday being the seventh of May they were all and twelve other knights more on a Scaffold set up in the middle of the Town beheaded but not dismembred● and permitted to be buried The same day Queen Margaret was found in a poore house of Religion not farre from thence into which she was fled for safeguard of her life but she was after brought to London and there kept a Prisoner till her Father ransomed her with great summes of money This was the last pitcht battell that was fought in England in king Edward the fourths dayes which happened on the fourth of May being Saturday in the Eleventh yeere of his reigne and in the yeere of our Lord 1471. King Edward being assured that as long as any partakers of king Henry lived and were at liberty he should never be free from plots against his life sent Roger Vaugha● a Gentleman much reckoned of in his own Country to entrape Iasper Earle of Pembrooke who had escaped from the last encounter but he having notice of the plot before prevented it by striking off Vaughans head After these great Clouds were thus dispersed there arose a little Cloud which gave the
to come on land was to have disswaded the King from any Enterview with the French King but when he saw him ●o forward in that jour●ey he then onely endeavoured to perswad● him that he should put no trust in the French Kings words and with great gui●ts and promises prevailed with the Cardinall to joyne with him in this perswasion The last of May the Emperour tooke his leave and the same day the King made saile from Dover and landed at Callice together with the Queen and many Lords and Ladies The fourth of Iune the King and Queen removed from Callice to his Princely lodging beside the Towne of Guysnes the most Royall Building that was e●er seene likewise Francis the French King had his lodging prepared close to the Towne of Ard in a strange but most magnificent fashion Both Kings had given authority and power to the Cardinall to affirme and confirme ●o bind or unbind whatsoever should be in difference betweene them no lesse an honour to the Cardinall then a confidence in the Kings On Thursday the seaven●h of Iune the Kings met in the vale of Andren so magnificently attired both themselves and all their followers that from thence it was called ●he campe of cloath of Gold Heere they spent that day in loving complements and at night departed the one to Guysnes the other to Ard. On Satureday the ninth of Iune were set up in a place within the English pale two Trees of honour with stately roomes and stages for the Queens and thither the two Kings came most Royally accompan●ed wherein most magnificent manner they performed Acts of valour both on foo●e and horseback and after them all the great Lords both of France and England did the like this solemnity of Justs and Maskes was continued to the foure and twentieth day of Iune at which time the Kings and Queenes tooke leave of each other the French King and Q●eene removed to Ard the King and Queene of England to Callice where he remained till the tenth of Iuly and then ridings ●oward Graveling was by the way met by the Emperour and by him conducted thithet and there in most royall manner ente●tained whereof when the French King heard he began from that day forward to have King Henry in a kinde of jelousie as though to love him and the Emperour both were inconsistent and could not stand together On Wednesday the eleventh of Iuly the Emperor and his Aunt the Lady Margaret Dutchesse of Savoy came with the King of England to the town of Callice and there continued with Feasting Dancing and Masking till the fourteenth of Iuly In which time all the Articles of the league tripartito betweene the Emperour and the Kings of England and France were reviewed to which the King of France had so fully condiscended that he had sent Monsieur de Roche to the Emperor with Let●ers of credence that in the word of a Prince he would inviolably observe and keepe them all all which notwithstanding he dispenced with his conscience afterward in breaking them all On Saturday Iuly 14. the Emperor tooke his leave and went to Graveling the King with his Queene returned into England It was now the twelfth yeer of King Henries reigne when being returned from Callice he kept his Christmas at Greenwich with great magnificence on twelfth day he and the Earl of Devonshire maintained a solemn Justs against al commers The Cardinal had long born a grudg against the Duke of Buckingham for speaking certain words in his disgrace and now hath made his way for reveng for the Earl of Surrey Lord Admirall who had maried the Dukes daughter the Cardinall had caused to be sent Deputy into Ireland and the Earle of Northumberland the Dukes speciall friend he had caused upon certain suggested crimes to be Imprisoned so as the Duke having his friends sequestred from him he lay now open to accusations and accusations shall not long be wanting for the Duke having some time before put from him in displeasure one Charles Knevet that had been his Surveyar and inward with him him the Cardinall gets to him to see what he could get out of him against the Duke And whether it was out of desire of revenge or out of hope of reward or that the matter was so indeed this Knevet confessed to the Cardinall that the Duke had once fully determined to make away the King being brought into a hope to be King himselfe by a vaine Prophesie which one Nicholas Hopkins a Monke of an house of the Chartnar Order besides Bristow called Henton somtimes his Confessor had opened to him and as for the Cardinall that he had often heard the Duke sweare he would punish him soundly for his manifold misdoings And now had the Cardinall matter enough for Accusation which he so aggravated to the King that the King bid him do with him according to Law Hereupon the Duke is apprehended and brought to the Tower by Sir Henry Marney Captain of the Guard the fifteenth of April and shortly after in Guild-hal before Sir Iohn Brugge then Lord Major was indited of divers points of High-treason the substance whereof was that in the second yeer of the Kings reign and at divers times before and after he had imagined and compassed the Kings death at London and at Thornbery in Glocestershi●e and that in the sixth yeer of the Kings reign he went in person to the Priory of Henton and there had conference with the foresaid Nicholas Hopkins who told him he should be King and that he had often said to the Lord Aburgayne who had maried his daughter that if King Henry died without issue he would look to have the Crown himself Vpon these points hee was arraigned in Westminster-hall before the Duke of Norfolk sitting then as high Steward of Engla●d the Duke of Suffolk the Marquesse Dorset the Earls of VVorcester Devonshire Essex Shrewsbury Kent Oxford and Darby the Lords of Saint Iohns de la ware Fitz-water Willoughby Brook Cobha● Herbert Morley The Duke pleaded for himself til he swet again but al booted ●ot for by these Peeres he was found guilty and condemned and so on Friday the seventeenth of May was led by Iohn Keyme and Iohn Skevington Sheriffes of London to the scaffold on Tower-hill and there beheaded The Augustine Friers took his body and head and buried them This Edward Bohun Duke of Buckingham was the last high Constable of England the greatest place next the high Steward in the kingdome whose Power extended to restrain some actions of the King He was also Earl of Hereford Stafford and Northampton he maried Elianor the daughter of Henry Earle of Northumberland and had issue Henry Lord Stafford Father to Henry Lord Stafford la●e living and three daughters Elizabeth maried to Thomas H●ward Earl of Surrey Katherine maried to Ralph Nevil Earl of Wes●merland and Mary maried to George Nevill Lord of Abu●ga●enie In this meane while a new Warre was begun between the Emperour and
following between three and foure a clocke in the afternoone the Queene was delivered of a daughter that was named Elizabeth the Godfather at the christning was the Archbishop of Canterbury the Godmother the old Dutchesse of Norfolke and the old Marchionesse Dorset widow and at the Confirmation the Lady Marchionesse of Excester the Christning was performed with exceeding great state and great gifts were given by the Gossips This yeere one Pavier the Town-clerke of London hanged himselfe whom Hollinshead saith he heard once sweare a great oath that if he thought the thought the King would set forth the Scripture in English rather then he would live to see that day he would cut his owne throat which I therefore relate that the judgement of God may be seene upon such unhallowed oathes A little before this time one Elizabeth Barton named the Holy Maid of Kent came to be discovered whose abettours were Richard Master a Priest Parson of Aldington in Kent Edward Bocking Doctor of Divinity a Monke of Canterbury Richard Deering a Monke Edward Thwayts Gentleman Henry Gold Parson of Aldermary Hugh Rich a Fryar observant Richard Risby and Thomas Gold Centlemen This Maid had learned to counterfeit falling into Trances in which she would deliver many strange things and amongst others said that by Revelation from God and his Saints she was informed that if King Henry proceeded to the Divorce and married another he should not be King of England one moneth after And here we may see how credulous oftentimes great Schollars are in beleeving Impostures when VVarham Archbishop of Canterbury and Fisher Bishop of Rochester were thought to give credit to this Counterfeit that we need not wonder at Saint Austin who though he gave credit to many lying Miracles yet they were such as had more probability in them then this which consisted in nothing but making of faces as upon Examination of the Maide and her Abettours was confessed and thereupon she and most of them were condemned drawne to Tyburne and there hanged In this meane time the Scots had beene troublesome and made Intodes upon the Borders till at last Commissioners being sent to treat of agreement a Peace was concluded to continue both the Kings lives which on the twentieth of May this yeer was openly Proclaimed About this time at the suit of the Lady Katherine Dowage a Bull was sent from the Pope which cursed both the King and the Realme which Bull was set up in the Towne of Dunkerke in Flanders the Messenger not daring to come neerer and because it was knowne that the Lady Dowager had procured this Curse to be sent the Duke of Suffolke was sent to her lying then at Bugden besides Huntington to discharge a great part of her houshold servants yet leaving her a convenient number like a Princesse It was now the six and twentieth yeer of King Henries reigne when in a Parliament holden an Act was made for establishing the succession in the Crown upon the Lady Elizabeth to which first all the Lords Knights and Burgesses were sworne and after Commissioners were sent into all parts of the Realm to take the oath of all men and women to the said Act. Another Act was also made which authorized the King to be Supreame Head of the Church of England and the Popes authority to be utterly abolished But Doctor Iohn Fisher Bishop of Rochester Sir Thomas Moore Knight and Doctor Wilson Parson of Saint Thomas Apostles in London expresly denied at Lam●eth before the Archbishop of Canterbury to take the Oathes of whom Doctor Wilson recanted but the other two persisting in their opinion were both of them beheaded Of these two Bishop Fisher was much lamented as reputed a man both of great learning and good life The Pope had elected him Cardinall and his Hat was come as farr● as Callice but before it could come into England his head was off Sir Thomas Moore was both learned and very wise but so given to a vaine of jesting and merry scoffing that he could not refrain it at the very time of his death as when he was carried to the Tower being demanded his upper garment meaning his Gowne you shall have it said he and gave them his cap saying it was the uppermost garment he had also when being upon the Scaffold the Hangman kneeled downe and asked him forgivenesse I forgive thee said he but I promise thee thou wilt never have credit by cutting off my Head my necke is so short and when he was to lay his head downe upon the blocke having a great gray beard he stroked it out and said to the Hangman I pray you let me lay my beard over the blocke lest you should cut it for though you have Warrant to cut off my head you have none to cut my beard But his Devotion was no jesting matter for he used to weare a shirt of haire next his skin for a perpetuall pen●ance and oftentimes in the Church he would put on a Surplesse and helpe the Priest to say Masse which he forbore not to doe even when he was Lord Chancellour of England as one time the Duke of Norfolke comming to the Church found him doing it Two memorable things are recorded of him one which shewes his great integritie and the small reckoning he made of riches that having passed through so many great imployments and borne so many great Offices yet in all his time ●e never Purchased above one hundred pounds land a yeere nor left any great stocke of money behinde him when he died The other which shewes his filiall piety that being Lord Chancellour of England at the same time that his Father wa● a Judge of the Kings Bench he would alwayes at his going to Westminster goe first to the Kings Bench and aske his Father blessing before he went to sit in the Chancery The ninth of Iuly this yeere the Lord Dacres of the North was arraigned at Westminster of high treason before the Duke of Norfolke as high Steward of England his Inditement being read he so answered every part and matter therein contained that by his Peeres he was found Not guilty a rare thing to stop a currant that ran with such violence The one and twentieth of September Doctor Taylour Master of the Roles was discharged of that Office and the ninteenth of October following Thomas Cromwell was sworne in his place This yeere the King of Scots was installed Knight of Garter by his Deputy the Lord Erskin and Stephen Gardiner who after the Cardinals death was made Bishop of Winchester was sent Embassadour Legier into France where he remained three yeeres Also in Ianuary of this yeere Katherine Princesse Dowage● fell into her last sicknesse to whom the King sent the Emperours Embassadour Legier desiring her to be of good comfort but she finding her death to approach caused onely one of her Gentlewoman to write a Letter to the King commending to him her Daughter and his and beseeching him to be a good Father to
her and then desiring him further to have some consideration of her Servants On the eighth of Ianuary at Kimbolton she departed this life and was buried at Peterborough A woman of so vertuous a life and of so great obsequiousnesse to her husband that from her onely merit is grown a reputation to all Spanish wives Also the nine and twentieth of Ianuary this yeere Queene Anne was delivered of a childe before her time which was borne dead And now King Henry began to fall into tho●e great disorders which have been the blemish of his life and have made him be blotted out of the Catalogue of our best Princes for first in October this yeer he sent D●ctor Lee and others to ●isit the Abbeys Priories and Nunneries in England who set at liberty all those Religious persons that would forsake their habit and all that were under th● age of foure and twenty yeers and in December following a survay was taken of all Chantries and the names of such as had the guift of them After which in a Parliament holden the fourth of February an Act was made which gave to the King all Religious houses with all their lands and goods that were of the value of three hundred marks a yeere and under the ●●mber of which Houses was three hundred seventy and six the value of their lands yeerly above two and thirty thousand pounds their movable goods one hundred thousand the Religious persons put out of the same houses above ten tho●sand This yeere William Tindall was burnt at a Town in Flanders betweene Brussels and Mechlyn called Villefort for translating into English the New Testament and divers parts of the old who having beene long imprisoned was upon the Lord Cromwels writing for his Deliverance in all haste brought to the fire and burnt It was now the eight and twentieth yeere of King Henries Reigne when on Munday there were solemne Justs holden at Geeenwich from whence the King suddainely departed and came to Westminster whose suddaine departure stroke great amazement into many but to the Queene especially and not without cause for the next day the Lord Rochford her brother and Henry Norris were brought to the Tower of London prisoners whither also the same day at five a clock in the afternoone was brought Queene Anne her selfe by Sir Thomas Audeley Lord Chancelour the Duke of Norfolke Thomas Cromwell Secretary and Sir William Kingston Leivtenant of the Tower who at the Tower-gate fell on her knees before the said Lords beseeching God to help her as she was innocent of that whereof she was accused on the ●ifteenth of May she was arraigned in the Tower before the Duke of Norfolke sitting as high Steward of England When her Inditement was read she made unto it so wise and discreet answers that shee seemed fully to cleere her selfe of all matters laid to her charge but being tried by her Peeres whereof the Duke of Suffolke was chiefe she was by them found guilty and had Judgment pronounced by the Duke of Nor●olke immeadiatly the Lord Rochford her brother was likewise arraigned and condemned who on the seaventeenth of May together with Henry Norris Marke Smeton VVilliam Briorton and Francis VVeston all of the Kings Privy-chamber about marters touching the Queen were behe●de● on the Tower-hill Queen Anne her selfe on the nineteenth of May on a Sca●fold upon the Green within the Tower was beheaded with the sword of Callice by the hangman of that Towne her body with the head was buried in the Quire of the chappell there This Queen Anne was the daughter of Thomas Bullen Earle of VViltshire and of Lady Elizabeth daughter of Thomas Howard Duke of Nor●olke the Earles Father was the sonne of Sir VVilliam Bullen whose wife was Margaret the second daughter and Coheire of Thomas Butler Ealre of Ormond and the said Sir VVilliam was the sonne of Sir Godfrey Bullen Lord Major of London who lieth buried in Saint Leonards Church in the Iewry whose wife was Anne eldest daughter coheire to Thomas Lord Hoo and Hastings and his discent was out of the house of the Bullens in the County of Norfolke thus much for her Parentage for her Religion she was an ●arnest Professor and one of the first Countenancers of the Gospell in Almes-deeds so liberall that in nine moneths space It it is said she distributed amongst the poore to the value of fifteene thousand pounds now for the crimes for which she died Adultery and Incest proofes of her guiltinesse there are none recorded of her Innocency many first her owne clearing of all objections at the time of her arraignment then Cromwels writing to the King after full examination of the matter that many things have been objected but none confessed onely some circumstances had been acknowledged by Marke Smeton and what was Marke Smeton but a meane fellow one that upon promise of life would say any thing and having said somthing which they took hold of was soone after executed least he should retract it lastly they that were accused with her they all denied it to the death even Henry Norris whom the King specially favoured and promised him pardon if he would but confesse it It was a poore proofe of Incest with her brother that comming one morning into her chamber before she was up he leaned down upon her bed to say somthing in her eare yet this was taken hold of for a proof and it need be no marvaile if we consider the many aduersaries she had as being a Protestant and perhaps in that respect the King himselfe not greatly her friend for though he had excluded the Pope yet he continued a Papist stil and then who knowes not that nature is not more able of an Acorn to make an oake then authority is able of the least surmise to make a certainty But howsoever it was that her death was contrived certain it is that it cast upon King Henry a dishonourable Imputation in so much that where the Protestant Princes of Germany had resolved to choose him for head of their League after they heard of this Queens death in such a manner they utterly refused him as unworthy of the honour and it is memorable what conceit Queene Anne her selfe had of her death for at the time when shee was led to be beheaded in the Tower● shee called one of the Kings Privy-chamber to her and said unto him commend me to the King and tell him he is constant in his course of advancing me for from a private Gentlewoman he made me a Marquesse from a Marquesse a Queen and now that he had left no higher degree of worldly honour for me he hath made me a Martyr Immediatly after her death in the weeke before Whi●●on●ide the King maried Iane Seymour daughter to Sir Iohn Seymour who at Whitsontide was openly shewed as Queene and on the Tuesday in the Whitson-weeke her brother Sir Edmund Seymour was created Viscount Beauchamp and Sir Walter Hangerford was made Lord Hangerford The
Secretary Iohn Cheeke one of his Schoolmasters Henry Dudley and Henry Nevill were made Knights and that which perhaps it had bin happy if it had never bin Sir Robert Dudley one of the Duke of Northumberlands sons the same who was afterward the great Earle of Leicester was sworne one of the six orninary Gentlemen of the Kings Chamber for after his comming into a place so neere about him the King enjoyed his health but a while The aspiring thoughts of the Duke of Northumberland were now growne up to be put in execution He was advanced in title of honour equall with the highest in authority and power above the highest he had placed his politicke Sonne neere about the Kings person the next thing was to remove the Duke of Somerset out of the way and for this also he had prepared instruments Sir Thomas Palmer Crane Hamond Cecill and others who brought severall accusations against the Duke some trenching upon the King and Kingdome but one specially against the Duke of Northumberlands person whose practises when the Duke of Somerset found and had cause to feare he went one day Armed into the Duke of Northumberlands Chamber with a purpose to kill him but finding him in his bed and being received with much kinde complement by him his heart relen●ed and thereupon came away without any thing done at his comming out one of his company asked him if he had done the deed who answered No then said he you are your selfe undone and indeed it so fell out for when all other Accusations were refelled this onely stucke by him and could not be denyed and so on the first of December he was arraigned at Westminster where the Lord William Pa●let Marquesse of Winchester and Lord Treasurour sat as high Steward of England and with him Peeres to the number of seven and twenty the Dukes of Suffolke and Northumberland the Marquesse of Northampton the Earles of Derby Bedford Huntington Rutland Bathe Sussex Worcester Pembrooke and Hert●ord the Barons Aburgaveuy Audeley Wharton Evers La●ymer Borough Zouth Stafford Wentworth Darcye Sturton Windsor Cromwell Cobham and Bray The Lords being set the Indit●ments were read in number five containing a charge for raising men in the North parts of the Realme and at his house for assembling men to kill the Duke of Northumberland for resisting his Attac●ment for raising London for assaulting the Lords and devising their deaths To all which he pleaded Not guilty and made a satisfactory Answer to every point though the Kings learned Councell p●essed them hard against him This done the Lords went together where exception was taken by some ●s a thing unfit that the Duke of Northumberland the Marquesse of Northampton and the Earle of Pembrooke should be of the Jurie seeing the prisoner was chiefely charged with practises against them But to this the Lawyers made answ●r that a Peere of the Realm might not be challenged so after much variation of opinions the prisoner was acqui●t of Treasor but by most voyees found guilty of Felony and that by a Statute lately by his owne p●ocureme●t made That if any should attempt to kill a Privie Councellour although the Fact were not done yet it should be Felonie and be punished with death But upon his being acquit of Treason t●e Axe of the Tower was presently laid downe which m●de people conceive he had beene acquitted of all who thereupon for joy gave so great a shout that it was heard as farre as Charing-Crosse but the Duke was little the better for being acquitted of Treason seeing he was found guilty of Felonie and had Judgement to dye It is thought by some he might have saved his life if he had demanded his Clergie but it is rather thought that in that Statute Clergie w●s denied Two moneths after his condemnation much against the Kings will Hee was brought to the Tower-Hill to execution wher● b●ing ●scended the Scaffold hee entred into a Speech wherein though he justified himselfe for any matter tending to the hurt of the King or Kingdome yet he confessed he was justly by the Law brought to th●● d●●●h and thanked God that had given him so large a time of repentance spe●ially that he had opened his eyes to see cleerely the light of the Gospell and going on in his Speech a sudden noyse arose of some crying away ●way which made some thinke a Pardon had beene come but was indeede the voyce of some that had beene warned to be at the Execution and were come somewhat late but the tumult being appeased the Duke went on with his Speech and at last commending his soule to God with a coun●enance not shewing a signe of feare or perturbation onely his cheekes a little redder then they use ●o be he peaceably laid downe his head upon the blocke and in a moment with one stroke of the Axe had it strucken off The death of this Duke made the Duke of Northumberland more odious to the people then he was before and there were some that dipped H●ndkerchiffes in his blood and kept them to upbraide the Duke of Northumberland withall when he came himselfe afterward to the like end After execution of the Duke Sir Ralph Vane and Sir Miles Partridge were hanged at the Tower-hill Sir Michael Stanhope and Sir Thomas Arundell were there beheaded After the Dukes condemnation it was thought fit to have something done for averting the Kings minde from taking thought and to that end one George Ferrers a Gentleman of Lincolnes-Inne was appointed in the Christmas-time to be Lord of Misrule who so carried himselfe that he gave great delight to many and some to the King but not in proportion to his heavinesse About this time was a call of seven Serjeants at Law who kept their Feast at Grayes-Inne of whom Master Robert Brooke Recorder of London was the first and the next Master Dyer who was chosen Speaker the next Parli●ment About this time also the Lord Paget was committed to the Tower ●or what cause is not certaine and being a Knight of the Order his Garder was taken from him by Garter king at Armes upon this pretence that he was said to be no Gentleman either by Father or Mother and the Garter was then bestowed on the Earle of Warwicke the Duke of Nor●hum●erlands eldest Sonne and the Lord Rich Lord Chancellour was put off from his Place and the Seal then delivered to Doctor Thomas Goodricke Bishop of Elye About this time also three great Ships were set forth at the Kings charge for discovery of a passage to the East Indies by the North Seas the chiefe Pilot and directour in this Voyage was one Sebastian Gabato an Englishman borne at Bristow but the son of a Genoway these Ships at the last arrived in the Countrey of Muscovia but not without losse of their Captain Sir Hugh Willoughby who being tossed and driven by tempest was afterward found in his Ship frozen to death and all his people At this time al●o the Duke of Suffolks three
all which the Duke made colourable answers but most of them being proved by sufficient testimony he asked upon occasion Whether the subjects of another Prince who is confederate and in league with the Queen are to be accounted the Queens enemies● to which Catiline answered They were and that the Q. of England might wage War with any Duke of France yet hold firm Peace with the French King When it grew towards night the L. high Steward demanded of the Duke if he had any more to say for himself who answered I rely upon the equity of the Laws After this the Lords withdrawing a while and then returning the Lord Steward beginning at the lowermost asked them My Lord de la Ware Is Thomas Duke of Norfolk guilty of these crimes of High Treason for which he is called in question He rising up and laying his hand upon his breast answered guilty in like manner they answered all After this the Lord Steward with teares in his eyes pronounced sentence in forme as is used A few dayes after were Barnes and Mather executed who conspired with one Herle to make away certaine of the Councellors and to free the Duke but Herle revealed the businesse presently to whom Barnes when hee saw his Accuser brought forth smilingly said Herle thou wert but one houre before mee else I had beene in thy place for the accuser and thou in my roome to be hanged at the same time with them was hanged also Henry Rolfe for counterfeiting the Queens hand But though the Duke were now condemned yet the Queen was so tender of his case that it was foure Moneths after before he was executed at last on the second of June at eight of the clock in the morning he was brought to the Scaffold upon the Tower-Hill and there beheaded At this time and upon this occasion a Parliament was Assembled wherein amongst other Lawes it were Enacted that if any man shall go about to free any person imprisoned by the Queens expresse Commandement● for Treason or suspition of Treason and not yet Arraigned he shall lose all his goods for his life time and be imprisoned during the Queens pleasure if the said person have beene Arraigned the Rescuer shall forfeit his life if condemned he shall be guilty of Rebellion In the time of this Parliament the Queen created Walter Devereux Earl of Essex being before but Viscount Hereford because he was descended by his Great-grand-mothers from the Bourchiers and made the Lord Clinton who had large Revenues in Lincolnshire Earl of Lincoln Also she called forth Iohn Paulet of Basing the Marquesse of Winchester's son Henry Compton Henry Cheyney and Henry Morris for Barons by Summons Within ten dayes after the Dukes death William Lord De-la-ware Sir Ralph Sadler Thomas Wilson Doctor of the Laws and Thomas Brumley the Queens Solicitour were sent to the Queen of Scots to expostulate with her That shee had usurped the Title and Arms of the Kingdom of England and had not renounced the same according to the agreement of the Treaty at Edinburgh That shee had endeavoured the marriage of the Duke of Norfolke without acquainting the Queene and had used all forcible meanes to free him out of prison had raised the Rebellion in the North had relieved the Rebels both in Scotland and in the Low-Countries had implored Aids from the Pope the King of Spaine and others had conspired with certaine of the English to free her out of Prison and Declare her Queen of England Lastly that she had procured the Popes Bull against the Queen and suffered herself to be publikely named the Queen of England in Forreigne Countries All which accusations she either absolutely denyed or else fairly extenuated and though as she said she were a free Queen and not subject to any creature yet she was content and requested that she might make her personall answer at the next Parliament About this time the King of Spain by his Embassadour here complained to the Queen that the Rebels of the Netherlands were harboured and entertained in England contrary to the Articles of the League whereupon the Queen set forth a severe Proclamation That all the Dutch who could any wayes be suspected of Rebellion should presently depart the Realm which yet turned little to D'Alva's or the King of Spains benefit For hereupon Count Vander-Mark and other Dutch going out of England surprized the Brill first then Flushing and afterwards drew other Towns to Revolt and in a short time excluded the Duke D'Alva in a manner from the Sea And this errour to suffer the Protestant party to get possession of the Sea-towns hath been the cause they have been able to hold out even all this long time against the King of Spain And now many military men having little to do at home got them into the Netherlands some to Duke D'Alva but the far greater number to the Prince of Orenge The first of whom was Thomas Morgan who carryed three hundred English to Flushing then followed by his procurement nine Companies more under the conduct of Humphry Gilbert and afterward it became the Nursery of all our English Souldiers At this time Charls the French King setting his mind wholly at least seeming so upon the Low-Country War concluded a peace and entred into a league with Queen Elizabeth which was to remain firm not only during their two lives but between their successors also if the s●ccessor signifie to the surviver within a yeer that he accepteth it otherwise to be at liberty It was likewise agreed what aid by Sea or Land they should each of them afford to other upon occasion and for ratification of this League Edward Clinton Earl of Lincoln and Admirall of England was sent into France with whom went the Lord Dacres Rich Talbot Sands and others The French King likewise sent the Duke of Memorancy and Paul Foix i●to England with a great train that the Queen in the presence of them and the Embassador in Ordinary might sweare to the league which she did at Westminster the seaventeenth of May in the yeer 1572. The day after she made Memorancye Knight of the Garter Memorancye whilst he tarryed in England made intercession in his Kings name that what favour could be without danger might be shewed to the Queen of Scots and then made much a do again about the marriage with the Duke of Angiou but being hopelesse to make conclusion thereof by reason of the diversity of Religion he returned into France for now was great provision making ready for the mariage between Henry King of Navarre and the Lady Margeret the French Kings Sister to which solemnity with notable dissimulation the Queen of Navarre and the chief of all the Protestants were allured being born in hand that there should be a renovation of love and a perpetuall peace established The Earl of Leicester likewise and the Lord Burleigh were invited out of England and out of Germany the sons of the Prince Elector Palatine under
was yet doubtfull The Earl content that Popham only should be freed but he refused unlesse the Keeper also might be dismissed Then Gorge freeth them all and goeth along with them to the Court by water Now when Essex thought to return he found a Chain fastened crosse the street at the West end of Pauls and men in Arms on the other side then he began to draw his sword and having once given the word Blunt letteth fly at them slew one of them incontinent himself being sorely wounded and taken Essex himself had his Hat shot thorow whereupon retiring he took Boat at Queen Hythe and went to Essex House where finding the Counsellors all dismissed he grew extreme angry and dismayed and cast certain papers into the fire saying They should tell no tales By and by the Admirall besiegeth the house commanding them to yeeld Southampton offereth if the Admirall would give Hostages to secure them they would present themselves to the Queen The Admirall answereth him by Sidney That Rebells are not to profer Conditions Within an hour Essex finding the case desperate resolved to rush forth and the Lord Sands the most aged in the company greatly urged it saying It were better to die valiantly than by the hands of a Hang-man But Essex his minde upon a little deliberation altering they fell upon their knees and deliver their weapons to the Admirall when it was ten a clock at night Owen Salisbury and one or two more were slain with Musket Shot and as many of the Besiegers The next day Thomas Lea Commander of a Company of Souldiers in Ireland who to one Crosse a Sea-Captain that detected him intimated how noble an exploit it were for six stout fellows to go to the Queen and compell her forceably to release Essex and Southampton was presently apprehended examined found guilty and executed Essex and Southampton were carryed first to Lambeth to the Archbishops house because it was a dark night but anon were sent to the Tower by the Queens direction and with them Rutland Sands Cromwell Mounteagle Danverse and Bromley the rest were put in common prisons On the nineteenth of February Essex and Southampton were called to their Arraignment before their Peers in Westminster-Hall where Buckhurst Lord Treasurer was appointed Lord High Steward of England for that time The Peers being severally called by their names Essex demanded If it were not lawfull for them to except against some of the Pee●s as private persons might do against the Jurors The Judges made answer That the credit and fidelity of the Peers of England was presumed to be such that in Tryalls they were not bound to take an Oath nor are they lyable to any exception Then were they joyntly indited of High Treason namely That they plotted to deprive the Queen of her life and Kingdom To surprize her in her very Palace And that they brake forth into open Rebellion by imprisoning the Counsellors of the Kingdom By exciting the Londoners to Re-bellion with vaine Fictions By assaulting the Queens loyall Subjects in the City and by defending of Essex House against the Queens Forces Hereunto they pleaded Not guilty Essex withall averring That they had done nothing but of necessity and the Law of Nature Yelverton aggravateth the specialties and Edward Cook Atturney argueth That the Earl could not excuse himself from the Law of Nature seeing Majesty is not to be affronted for private revenge The Earl of Essex with great confidence made answer That to his Prince and Countrey he alwayes had and would bear a loyall affection The Francis Bacon one that was little expected to speak against Essex by whom he had been raised in defence of Cobham Cecill and Raleigh aggravateth his crying out That the Crown of England was sold to the Spaniard wherto Essex replyed that he heard indeed that Cecill the Secretary should say to one of the Lords of the Councell That the Right of the Infanta of Spain to the Kingdom of England was as good as any of the Competitors Upon this Cecill who stood by as an Auditor steppeth in and falling upon his knees beseecheth the Steward that with his good leave he might quit himself from this foul aspersion which leave being granted him he provoked Essex if he durst to name the Counsellor but he would not therefore saith Cecill It is a Faction still Essex averreth it Then Cecill turning himself to Southampton besought him by all manner of Obtestations to name the man He referreth it to the Honorable Assembly and to Cecill himself if in Honour and good Reason he ought to do it they affirming He might Southampton nameth Sir William Knolles Essex his Unkle He being sent for at Cecills intreaty said That Cecill two yeers since told him that one Dolman in a Book had asserted the Right of the Infanta and had spoken no otherwise than so Now after the Judges had delivered their opinion what was Law in the matters alleadge● the Earls by the Stewards direction were taken aside Then the Peers rose and went apart and having consulted about an hour returned to their seats and in their order pronounced the Earls guilty of high Treason Then the high Steward advising Essex to implore the Queens mercy giveth Sentence and that done brake his Staff and departed The next day Sir Robert Vernon Sir William Constable Sir Edmund Baynham Littleton Cluff Captain Whitlock Iohn and Christopher Wright and Orell an old Souldier were called to their Tryall but the Queen informed by Sir Fulk Grevill That most of them were drawn unwittingly into the danger commanded that onely Littleton Baynham and Orell should have their Tryall the rest to be sent back to prison These were all condemned but their lives spared which favour Raleigh for a good sum of money received of Baynham procured Essex in the mean while requested he might speak with some of the Counsellors to whom he reconciled himself and to Cecill especially and then intimated That the Queen could not be in safety while he lived he requesteth he might be executed privately in the Tower He grievously inveigheth against some of the Conspiracy and wished to speak with some of them but specially with Blunt and Cuffe whom as soon as he saw he brake forth into these words O Cuffe ask pardon of God and the Queen for thou hast chiefly provoked me to this disloyalty Also he intimated Sir Henry Nevill ordinary Ambassadour in France to have been acquainted with the Conspiracy and that other in Scotland France the Netherlands and the Lord Mountjoy Deputy of Ireland knew of his purpose and other in England who being many in number and the Lord Mountjoy ordering the Affairs of Ireland in good fashion the Queen wisely would take no notice of it The five and twentieth day of February which was to be the fatall day there were sent to the Earl divers Ministers to give him ghostly comfort The Queen now wavering in her self one while remembring the ●●ci●nt kindenesse she had shewed
VERA EFFIGIES EXCELLENTISSIMI PRINCIPIS CAROLI MAG BRITAN FRAN. HIBERNIAE HAEREDIS Viuat ô Viuat Princeps CAROLINUS et Orbi Imperet in̄umeris decorans sua sêcla Triumphis Flourish braue Prince out shine thy Glorious Name Triumphant Laurels ever Crowne thy Fame CAROLUS inter Reges ut Lilium inter Flores VEROLAM LINCO●●● LONDON YORK A ROMAN A SAXON A DANE A NO●●●● CHRONICLE OF THE KINGS OF ENGLAND From the Time of the ROMANS Goverment unto the Raigne of our Soveraigne LORD KING CHARLES Containing all Passages of State Church With all other Observations proper for a CHRONICLE Faithfully Collected out of Authours Ancient and Moderne digested into a new Method By Sr R. Baker Knight LONDON Printed for Daniel Frere and are to be sold at his Shop at the Red Bull in Little Brittaine 1643. To the High and Mighty Prince CHARLES Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornewall Eldest Sonne of our Soveraigne Lord CHARLES King of Great Britaine France and IRELAND SIR THE Dedication of Chronicles hath in all times been thought worthy of the greatest Princes Gulielmus Gemiticensis writ a Chronicle of the Dukes of Normandy and Dedicated it to William the Conquerour Thomas Walsingham writ a Chronicle of the Kings of England and Dedicated it to King Henry the sixth And of late time Sir Francis Bacon Viscount Saint Albans and Lord Chancellour of England writ a History of the Reigne of King Henry the seventh and Dedicated it to Your Royall Grand-Father of blessed memory King Iames For indeed as nothing makes Princes more Illustrious then Learning So no Learning makes them more Judicious then History Other Learning may fill their mindes with knowledge This onely with Judgement And seeing it is Judgement that must sit as President over all their Actions it is fit that History should sit as President over all their Studies History gives an Antedate to Time and brings Experience without gray haires Other Knowledges make You but see Quod antepedes est History is the true perspective Glasse that will make You see things afarre off And though it make not men to become Prophets yet it makes their conjectures to be little lesse then Oracles● But most Illustrious Prince there accrues to your Highnesse by this Chronicle a greater benefit then all this For if it were an Excitation of great force to vertue to have it said Et Pater Aeneas Avunculus excitet Hector of how great Force must it needes be when You shall reade the Noble Acts of so many your worthy Progenitors Some Eternized for their valourous Atchievements in Warre Some for their prudent government in Peace Some Renowned for Mercy some for Justice And although the Example of your Royall Father be not amongst them yet it may be sufficient that while you have the Acts of others upon Record you have his under View by which he seemes to say unto you Disce Puer virtutem exme verumque laborem Fortunam ex aliis And if in any of your Progenitors there appeare as it were Maculae in Orbe Lunae will it not invite you to a higher Orbe that Your Actions may shine with the clearer Beames and then how happy will the eyes be that shall see you sitting in your Throne For my selfe I should account it happinesse enough that I have lived to see the dayes of your Illustrious Father if it were not a great unhappines to see them overcast with clouds yet when these clouds shal be dispel'd will it not make him shine with the greater Splendor And this as old as I am I doubt not to live my selfe to see and having once seene it shal then willingly say my Nunc Dimittis and l●ave the joy of your glorious times for another Age In the meane time prostrating my self humbly at your feet and wishing to your Highnesse as D●iphobus did to Aeneas I Decus I Nostrum Melioribus utere Fatis Your most humble and most devoted Servant RICHARD BAKER An Epistle to the READER THis Booke I suppose will no sooner come abroad but the question will be asked why any man would take so superfluous a Labour to write that which hath been written by so many by some so copiously by some so elegantly that nothing can be added To which Objection I confesse my selfe unable to make a better Answer then by President For when many excellent men had written the Story of the Roman Emperours both accurately and eloquently yet Suetonius Tranquillus comming after them wanted not his part of Commendation For though he added nothing in the matter or substance yet be altered much in the forme and disposition distinguishing that into Classes and Chapters which the former had delivered in one continued Narration as being both lesse tedious to the Reader like a way marked out by Miles and more plainly Informing where Distinction tooke away confusion Besides many have Written the Reignes of our English Kings copiously indeed but so superfluously that much may justly be pared away Some againe Elegantly indeed but so succinctly that much as justly may be added And this if I have endevoured to doe I cannot be blamed If done it I deserve acceptance Againe where many have written the Reignes of some of our Kings excellently as in the way of History yet I may say they have not done it so well in the way of Chronicle For whilst they insist wholly upon matters of State they wholly omit meaner Accidents which yet are Materials as proper for a Chronicle as the other For my selfe if in some places I be found to set downe whole passages as they are already set downe by others and may seeme rather to transcribe then to write yet this I suppose may be excused as being all of one common stocke and no matter from whence the water comes so it come cleane to the Readers use Lastly for the Worke it selfe I dare be bold to say that it hath beene Collected out of Authours both Ancient and Moderne with so great care and diligence that if all other Chronicles should be lost yet this onely would be sufficient to informe Posterity of all passages memorable or worthy to be knowne which of any other generall Chronicle cannot perhaps be said RICHARD BAKER A CATALOGVE OF VVRITERS BOTH ANCIENT AND MODERNE Out of whom this CHRONICLE hath beene Collected 1 GIldas Britannicus surnamed the Wise was the first writer of our English Nation who amongst other his Workes writ a Treatise De Excidio Britanniae He was borne in the year 493. and dyed in the yeare 580. 2 Nennius a Monke of Bangor writ the Story of Britaine and lived about the yeare 620. 3 Venerable Bede a Saxon and a Priest writ the Ecclesiasticall Story of the English Nation from the comming in of Julius Caesar to the yeare 733. about which time he dyed 4 Ethelwardus a writer next to Bede the most ancient writ a generall Chronicle from the Creation to the end of King Edgar 5 Radulphus de Diceto
Adversary endevours first to strengthen himselfe with Friends abroad seekes to match his Sonne Edward with a Daughter of Guy Earle of Flanders Marries one of his Daughters to the D●ke of Barr● who pretended Title to Champaigne another to Iohn Duke of Bra●ant sends fifteene thousand pounds Sterling to Adolph de Nassaw the Emperour for recovery of certaine Lands which he claimed in France and with all these and many other con●ining Princes he sets upon the King of France and then sends over his Brother Edmund Earle of Lancaster the Earles of Lincolne and Richmond with eight and twenty Banners seven hundred men at Armes and a Navy of three hundred and sixty Saile In the meane time the King of France having had intelligence of the intended alliance betweene King Edward and Guy Earle of Flanders sends for the said Earle as if knowing nothing thereof to come with his Wi●e and Daughter to make merry with him at Paris where instead of Feasting him he makes him Prisoner and takes from him his Daughter in regard he sought being his Vassall to match her with his capitall Enemy The Earle excuseth it the best he could and by much mediation is released himselfe but not his Daughter whereupon the Earle presuming upon aide from King Edward takes Armes and defies the King of France who thereupon comes with an Army of sixty thousand against him which caused King Edward with all speed possible to relieve this distressed Earle and so leaving the Government of the kingdome in his absence to the Bishop of London the Earle of Warwicke and the Lords Reynold Grey and Clifford with five hundred Saile and eighteene thousand men at Armes he passeth over into France but finding the Country distracted into many popular Factions and the King of France daily getting upon them having already won Lisle Doway Courtray Burges and Dam and the Emperour Adolph failing to send him aide as he had promised he fell into great perplexity and having stayed the whole Winter at Gaunt where by reason of many outrages committed by his Souldiers he was so affronted by the Gauntois that his owne person was not without some danger He thereupon in the Spring of the yeare concludes a Truce with the King of France for two yeares takes his sister Margaret to Wife and affianceth the Daughter of the same King to his Sonne Prince Edward and so returnes into England And these were all the troubles King Edward had with France But now must something be spoken of troubles with his Lords at home whereof this was the beginning In a Parliament at Salisbury the five and twentieth yeare of his Raigne the King requires certaine of his Lords to goe to the Warres in Gascoyne which needed a present supply by reason of the death of his Brother Edmund but the Lords make all their excuses every man for himselfe Whereupon the King in great rage threatned they should either goe or he would give their Lands to others that should Upon this Humfrey Bohun Earle of Hereford High Constable and Roger Bigod Earle of Norfolke Marshall of England make their Declaration that if the King went in Per●on they would attend him otherwise not Which answer offended the King more and being urged againe the Earle Marshall protested he would willingly goe thither with the King and march before him in the Vauntguard as by right of inheritance he ought to doe But the King told him plainely he should goe with any other though he we●● not himselfe in Person● I am not so bound saith the Earle neither will I take t●●t journey without you The King swore by God Sir Earle you shall either goe or h●●●● And I sweare by the same Oath said the Earle I will neither goe no● hang● and so without leave departs Shortly after the two Earles assemble many Noble men and other their Friends to the number of thirty Bannere●s so as they were fifteen hundred men at Armes well appointed and stood upon their Gu●●d● The King like a prudent Prince who knew his times prosecu●es them not as then b●● lets the matter passe in regard that his businesse called him presently into Flanders when being ready to take ship the Arch-bishops Bishops Earles Barons and the Commons send him a Roll of the Grievances of his Subjects concerning his Taxes Subsidies and other Impositions with his seeking to force their services by unlawfull courses to which the King sends answer that he could not a●t●r any thing without the advice of his Councell who were not now about him and therefore required them seeing they would not attend him in his Journey which they absolutely refused to doe though he went in Person unlesse he had gone into France or Scotland that they would yet doe nothing in his absence prejudi●iall to the peace of the kingdome and that at his returne he would set all things in good order to their contentment But having taken his Journey and being held there with long delayes to his exceeding great expenses he was forced to send over for more supply of Treasure and thereupon gave order for a Parliament to be held at Yorke by the Prince and because of his Minority for he was then but sixteene yeares of age by such as had the manage of the kingdome in his absence and to the end he would not be disappointed of aide he condescends to all such Articles as were demanded concerning the great Charter Promising from thenceforth never to charge his Subjects otherwise then by their consents in Parliament and to pardon all such as had denyed to attend him in this Journey After this in the 27. yeare of his Raigne a Parliament is called at Westminster wherein the promised Confirmation of the two Charters and the allowance of what disafforestation had heretofore beene made was earnestly urged and in the end with much adoe Granted and that with omission of the Clause Salva Iure Coronae nostr● which the King laboured to have inserted but the people by no meanes would agree and the perambulation of the Forests of England was then committed to three Bishops three Earles and three Barons But some yeares after in the two and thirtieth yeare of his Raigne King Edward begunne to shew his resentment of the stubborne behaviour of his Nobles towards him in times past and so terrifies Roger Bigod Earle Marshall that to recover his favor the Earle made him his Heire● in Possession though he had a Brother of his owne living reserving onely to himselfe a thousand pounds per annum during his life Of others likewise he go● great summes for the same offence The Earle of Hereford escaped his fine by death But the Arch-bishop of Canterbury whom he accused to have disturbed his Peace in his absence he sends over to Pope Clement the fifth who succeeded Bonifac● that he might be crusht with a double power This Pope was Native of Burdeaux and ●o the more regardfull of the Kings desire and the King● the more confident of
of A●mesbury in Wiltshire at the instance of Queene Eleanor her Grandmother who lived there Elizabeth their seventh daughter was first married to Iohn Earle of Holland Zeland and Lord of Freezeland he dying within two yeares she was afterward married to Humphrey Bohun Earle of Hereford and Essex Lord of Breknok and High Constable of England by whom she had issue sonnes and daughters Beatrice and Blanch their eighth and ninth daughters died young and unmarried King Edwards second Wife was Margaret eldest daughter of Philip King of France called the Hardy and sister to Philip called the Faire at eighteene yeares old she was married to King Edward being above threescore yet at the unequall yeares she had issue by him two sonnes and a daughter their eldest sonne was borne at a little Village in Yorkshire called Brotherton and was thereof called Thomas of Brotherton he was created Earle of Norfolke and Earle Marshall of England after Roger Bigod who died without issue Their second sonne Edmund was borne at Woodstocke in Oxfordshire and of the place was so called he was created Earle of Kent and married Margaret daughter of Iohn and sister of sole Heire of Thomas Lord Wakes of Lydell in the County of Northampton by whom he had issue two sonnes and one daughter his sonnes Edmund and Iohn died without issue his daughter Ioane for her beauty called the Faire maid of Kent was married first to William Montacute Earle of Salisbury and from him divorced was re-married to Sir Thomas Holland in her Right Earle of Kent and by her Father of Thomas and Iohn Holland Duke of Surrey and Earle of Huntington and lastly she was the Wife of Edward of Woodstocke the blacke Prince of Wales and by him Mother of King Richard the second This Earle Edmund was beheaded at Winchester in the fourth yeare of King Edward his Nephew Eleanor the daughter of King Edward by his second Wife Margaret died in her childhood Of his personage and conditions HE was tall of stature higher then ordinary men by head and shoulders and thereof called Longshanke of a swarthy complection strong of body but leane of a comely favour his eyes in his anger sparkling like fire the haire of his head black and curled Concerning his conditions as he was in warre peacefull so in Peace he was warlike delighting specially in that kinde of hunting which is to kill Stagges or other wilde beasts with Speares In continencie of life he was equall to his Father in acts of valour farre beyond him He had in him the two wisdomes not often found in any single both together seldome or never An ability of judgement in himselfe and a readinesse to heare the judgement of others He seemed to be a great observer of opportunity a great point of wisdome in any in Princes greatest and that he could beare an injury long without seeking to revenge it as appeared by his carriage towards the Earle Roger Bigod whom when he saw his time he called to account for an affront he had offered him di●ers yeares before He was not easily provoked into passion but once in passion not easily appeased as was seene by his dealing with the Scots towards whom he shewed at first patience and at last severity If he be censured for his many Taxations he may be justified by his well bestowing them for never Prince laid out his money to more honour of himselfe or good of his kingdome His greatest unfortunatenesse was in his greatest blessing for of foure sonnes which he had by his Wife Queen Eleanor three of them died in his owne life time who were worthy to have out-lived him and the fourth out-lived him who was worthy never to have beene borne Of his death and buriall IN his last expedition into Scotland being at Carlile he fell sicke and lying in his death-bed he sent for his sonne Edward to whom besides many admonitions to Piety he commanded three things specially that he should carry his bones about with him through Scotland till he had subdued it that he should send his heart into the Holy Land with sevenscore knights to that warre and the two and thirty thousand pounds he had provided for that purpose and that he should never recall Gaveston from banishment and soon after of a dysentery or Bloudy-Flix he died at Borough upon the Sands the seventh of Iuly in the yeare 1307. when he had Raigned foure and thirty yeares and seven moneths lived threescore and eight yeares Being dead his Corps was brought to Waltham Abbey and there kept the space of sixteene weekes and after on Simon and Iudes day buried at Westminster Men of Note in his time OF Martiall men there were many these specially Iohn Earle of Warren who opposed the Kings Inquisition by Quo Warranto and Roger Bigod who gave the King an affront to his face Of learned men also many specially these Iohn Breton bishop of Hereford who compiled a book of the Lawes of England called l● Breton Thomas Spot a Chronographer Iohn Eversden a writer of Annals and of this Kings Raigne Gregory Cairugent a Monke of Glocester and a writer also of Annals Iohn Peckham a Franciscan Frier made Arch-bishop of Canterbury who writ many excellent workes Iohn Read an Historiographer Thomas Bungey a Frier Minor an excellent Mathematician Roger Bacon a Franciscan Frier an excellent Philosopher and Mathematician Robert Kilwarby Arch-bishop of Canterbury and after made a Cardinall also Ralph Baldock Bishop of London who writ a Chronicle of England in the Latine tongue but above them all though of another Countrey Thomas Aquinas borne of a Noble Family whose workes are too famous to be spoken of who going to the Councell holden at Lyons by Pope Gregory the tenth died by the way THE LIFE and RAIGNE OF KING EDWARD THE SECOND Of his Acts before and at his Coronation EDward of Carnarvan eldest Sonne of King Edward the first succeeded him in the kingdome and never did Prince come to a Crowne with more applause of Nobility and People and there was good cause for it For he had beene trained up in all good courses for Piety and Learning he had seene the Government of his Father from whose Example he could not but have learned many good Lessons he had been initiated in the wayes of State having beene left Governour of the Realme and presiding in Parliament in his Fathers absence and he was now three and twenty yeares old a fit age for bearing the weight of a Scepter and yet for all these advantages there wanted not feares of him in the mindes of many who could not but remember what prankes he had played not long before how he had broken the Bishop of Chesters Parke and in most disorderly manner had killed his Deere for which both himselfe had beene committed to Prison and his Friend Pierce Gaveston banished the Realme and if he did such things being but Prince what might not be feared of him comming to be King For seldome doth
Earle returning into Britt●i●e received there the news of the Duke of Buckinghams death and the disp●r●ing of the Confederates forces with which though he was at first much troubled yet was he as much comforted afterward when he saw the Marquesse Dorset and those other Lords and Captaines come unto him soon after whose comming upon Christ●●sse day before the high Altar in the great Church of Rheims the Earle of Richmo●d gave Oath to marry the Lady El●zabeth as soone as he should be quietly ●e●led in the Government of England and thereupon all the Lords and Knights there present did him homage and in the same place each to other Religiously Vowed taking the Sacrament upon it never to cease prosecuting warre against king Richard till either his Deposition or Destruction King Richard being informed of these things makes diligent enquiry after all such as might be suspected to be favourers of Richmonds association of whom Sir George Brown and Sir Roger Clifford with foure other Gentlemen are apprehended and ex●cuted at London Sir Thomas Sentl●ge● whom m●rried Anne the Duke of Excet●rs widdow this kings own sister and Thomas Rame Esquire were executed at Exceter Thomas Marquesse Dorset and all such as were with the Earle of Rich●●●d were at a Parliament then holden att●inted of Treason and all their Good● a●d Lands seized on to the kings use Besides these a poore Gentleman called C●lli●gbor●● for making a small ryme of th●ee of his wicked Co●nsellours the Lord L●●●ll Sir Robert Ratcliffe and Sir William Catesby which ryme was thus framed 〈◊〉 Cat the Rat and ●●vell the Dog rule all Engla●● under a ●●og was put to deat● ●nd his body divided into foure quarter● At this time a Truce is concl●ded betwixt England and Sc●●land for three years● and for a se●ling a firmer Amity between the two kingdomes a marriage it treated● of between the Duke of Rothsay eldest Sonne to the king of Scots and the Lady Anne de la Poole daughter to Iohn Duke of Suffolk by Anne sister to king Ri●hard which sister he so much favoured that after the death of his own sonne who dyed some time before ●e caused Iohn Earle of Lincolne her sonne and his Nephew to be proclaimed Heire apparent to the Crown of England And now King Richard to take away the Root of his feare once againe sent Amb●●●adors to the Duke of Britaine with orde● besides the great gifts they caried with them to make offer that king Richard should yeerly pay and answer the Duke of all the Revenues and Profits of all lands and possessions● as well belonging to the Earle of Richmond as of any other Nobleman or Gentleman that were in his company if he after that time would keep them in continuall prison and restraine the● from liberty But the Duke of Brit●ine being at that time fallen into such infirmity that the Ambassadors could have no audience they addressed themselves to ●eter Landois the Dukes chief Treasurer and he taken with this golden hook faithfully promised to satisfie their Request and had done so indeed but that B. Morto● sojourning then in Fl●●ders had by his friends Intelligence of his purpose and presently informed the E. thereof The E. was then at Va●●e●● who upon the Bps. information taking with him only five servants as though he went but to visit some friend when he was five miles forward on his way suddenly turned into a Wood adjoyning and there changing apparell with one of his servants followed after as their attendant and never rested till by wayes unknown he came to his company abiding at Angi●r● yet was not his departure so secret nor so sudden but that Peter Landois had notice of it who sending Posts after him was so neer overtaking him that he was scarce entred one houre into Franc● when the Posts arrived at the Con●ines and then durst goe no further In the mean time Sir Edward Woodvile and Captaine P●ynings who with their companies were left behinde in Vannes had been in danger of Peter L●ndis his malice but that the Duke being informed by the Chancellour of their case not only protected them but furnished them with all necessaries for their journey to the Earle and was so incensed against L●●dois for this action of his that for this and some other over-bold pre●umptions he was afterward hanged The Earle having passed this danger in Britaine and being arrived in France addresseth himselfe to the French king imploring his ayde and hath it promised and performed and in this time Iohn Vere Earle of Oxford who had long time been kept prisoner in the Castle of Hammes so farre prevailed with Iames Blunt Captaine of the Fortresse and Sir Iohn Fortescue Porter of the Town of Callice that not onely they suffered him to be at liberty but accompanied him also to the Earle of Richm●●● to whom Captain Blunt gave assurance that the Fortresse remained wholly at his devotion At this time also there resorted to the Earle divers young Gentlemen that were Students in the University of Paris profering him their service amongst whom was Richard Fox at that time famous for his learning with whom afterward the Earle advised in all his affaires made him one of his most Privy Counsell and at last Bishop of Winchester But now king Richard having been disappointed of his designe in Britaine hath another way in his head to disapoint the Earle of Richmond of his marriage with the Daughter of Queen Elizabeth and to this end he sent to the Queen● being still in Sanctuary divers messengers who should first excuse and purge him of all things formerly attempted and done against her and then should largely promise promotions innumerable not onely to her selfe but also to her sonne Lord Thomas Marquesse D●r●et● by ●or●e of which promises the messengers so prevailed with her ●hat no● onely she began ●o relent but 〈…〉 was content to submit her selfe wholly to th● king● pleasure And thereupon putting in oblivion the murther of her inno●●●● Children the butchering of her own Brother and Sonne the infamy of her ●oy●ll Hu●●and the aspersion of Adulte●y cast upon her selfe the imputation of Bastardy laid to her Da●●hter●● forgetting also her Oa●h made to the Earle of Richmonds Moth●r seduced by fla●tering words she first delivered into king Richards hands her ●ive Daughters and after sent letters to the Marquesse her Sonne being then at Pari● wit● the Earle of Richmond willing him by any means to leave the Earle and with all speed to repaire into England● where for him were provided great Honours and Promotions Assuring him further that all offences on both parts were forgot●en ●nd forgiven and both he and she incorporated in the kings favour If we wonder at this credulity in the Queen we may conceive she was moved with the 〈…〉 motives of Feare and hope she feared no doubt that if she denyed the king● request he would presently take some sharpe course both against her and her D●●●ht●rs and she hoped that
wrote certaine Rules of Grammar and other things printed by Richard Pinson Robert Fabian a Sheriffe of London and an Historiographer Edmund Dudley the same man whom king Henry used to take the forfeitures of Penall Statu●es who wrote a Booke intituled Arbor Re●-publicae Iohn Bockingham an excellent Schoole-man and William Blackeney a Carmelite Frier a Doctor of Divinity and a Necromancer THE REIGNE OF KING HENRY THE EIGHT KING Henry the seventh being deceased his only sonne Prince Henry Heire by his Father of the house of Lancaster and by his Mother of the house of Yorke by unquestionable right succeeded in the Crowne at the Age of eighteene yeers on the two and twentieth of Aprill in the yeere 1509. who having been trained up in the study of good letters all his Fathers time● he Governed at first as a man newly come from Contemplation to Action as it were by the Booke● in so regular and fair a man●er that as of Neroes Goverment there was said to be Quinquennium Neronis so of this Kings there might as justly be said Decennium Henrici and perhaps double so long a time comparable with so much time of any Kings Reigne that had been before him How he came to alter and to alter to such a degree of change as he did we shall then have a fit place to shew when we come to the time of his alteration King Henry having learned by Bookes that the weight of a Kingdome is too heavy to lie upon one mans shoulders if it be not supported by able Councellours made it his first care to make choice of an able Councell to which he called VVilliam VVarham Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellour of England Richard Fox Bishop of VVinchester Thomas Howard Earle of Surry and Treasurer of England George Talbot Earle of Shrewsbury and Lord Steward of his Houshold Charles Summerset Lord Chamberlaine Sir Lovell● Sir Henry VVyat Doctor Thomas Ruthall and Sir Edward Poynings by advise of these Councellours his first Act after the care of his Fathers Funerall was the care to performe his Fathers Will in marrying the Lady Katherine of Spaine the Relict of his Brother Prince Arthur to which perhaps but in respect of filiall pierie he had not the greatest devotion and for relinquishing whereof he might no doubt more easily have obtained a Despensation from the Pope then his Father had done for getting it to be allowed but obsequiousnesse to his Fathers desire and respect to his Councels advice so far prevailed with him that he would not be Crowned till that were performed that one Coronation might serve them both and so on the third day of Iune following he married the said Lady at the Bishop of Salisburies house in Fleetstreet where of many great solemnities I will remember but this one that though the Bride were a Widdow yet to shew she was a Virgin Widdow she was attired all in white and had the haire of her head hanging-downe behinde at the full length and then having made in the Tower four and twenty Knights of the Bath two dayes after being Midsomer day he was Crowned at Westminster together with his Queene by the hands of VVilliam VVarham Archbishop of Canterbury with all Circumstances of State in such cases usuall and then all the Nobility Spirituall and Temporall did him Homage and the people being asked whether they would receive him for their King they all with one voice cryed yea yea This done his next Act was another part of performing his fathers Will which was to proclaime Pardons for all offences Treason Murder and Felonie only excepted and to have restitution made of all goods unjustly taken from any and because the Instruments of such injustice are alwayes most odious and nothing gives the people so much contentment as to see their Persecutours punished he therefore caused Empson and Dudley the two chiefe Actours of the late unjust proceedings to be committed to the Tower and divers of their inferiour Agents called Promoters as Canby Page Smith Derby Wright Simpson and Stockton to be set on the Pillory in Cornhill with papers on their heads and then to ride through the City with their faces to the horse tailes with the shame whereof within seven dayes after they all died in Newgate Shortly after a Parliament was called whereof Sir Thomas Ingleby was chosen Speaker and therein Empson and Dudley were attainted of High Treason and after arraigned Edmund Dudley in the Guildhall on the seventeenth of Iuly and Sir Richard Empson at Northampton in October following and on the seventeenth of August the yeere following they were both of them beheaded on the Tower Hill and their Bodies and Heads buried the one at the White Fryers the other at the Black On Midsomer Eave at night King Henry came privily into VVestchester cloathed in one of the Coats of his Guard to behold the same and this first yeer King Henry spent in Justs and Maskes which were almost perpetuall performed with great Magnificence alwayes and sometimes with great Acts of Valour on the Kings part specially In February the same yeer Embassadours came from the Kings Father in law the King of Aragon requiring Ayde against the Moores in which service the Lord Thomas Darcy a Knight of the Garter making suite to be imployd he was sent thither and with him the Lord Anthony Gray brother to the Marquesse Dorset Henry Guilford Wolstan Browne and William Sidney Esquires of the Kings House Sir Constable● Sir Roger Hastings Sir Ralph Elderton and others who on the Mund●y in the Rogation Weeke departed out of Plimot● Haven with four ships Royall and on the first of Iune arrived at the Port of Cadis in south Spaine of whose comming the King of Aragon hearing● sent to bid them welcome but advertising them withall that he had now by reason of new troubles with France taken truce with the Moores and therefore they might returne againe into their owne Country to whom yet he allowed wages for all his souldiers W●ereupon the Lord Darcy and all his men went aboord their ships but Henry Guilford Wol●tan Br●wne and William Sidney desirous to see the Court of Spaine went thither and were honourably entertained Henry Guilford and Wolstan Browne were made Knights by the King who gave to Sir Henry Guil●ord a Canton of Granado and to Sir Wolstan Browne an Eagle of Sicily on a Chiefe to the augmentation of their Armes William Sidney so excused himselfe that he was not made Knight After this they returned to their ships and their ships into England During the time that the Lord Darcy was in Spain the Lady Margaret Dutchesse of Sa●oy Daughter unto Maximilian the Emperour and Governesse of Flande●s and other the Low-countryes pertaining to Charles the young Prince of Ca●tile sent to King Henry for fifteen hundred Archers to aid her against the Duke of Gelders which the King granted and thereupon Sir Edward Poynings Knight of the Garter and Comptroller of the Kings House appointed to goe
there to keep the City in Awe And now the Cardinall being weary of hearing so many Causes himselfe as were daily brought before him ordained by the Kings Commission aftet the patterne of Mases divers under Courts to hear co●mplaints of Suitours whereof one was kept in the Whitehall another before the Kings Almoner Doctor Stokesley a third in the Lord Treasurers lodging neere the Starre-chamber and the fourth at the Roles in the afternoone these Courts for a time were much frequneted but at last the people perceiving that much delay was used in them and that sentence given by them bound no man by Law they thereupon grew weary of them and resorted to the common Law By occasion of this Government of the Cardinall who under colour of Justice did what he pleased many great men withdrew themselves from the Court as first the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Winchester who went and lived in their Diocesses then the Duke of Norfolke and at length the Duke of Suffolke who being run deep into the Kings debt by reason of his many Imployments into France and his great House-keeping since his marriage with the Kings Sister hoped the King would have forgiven it and would no doubt have done it but that the Cardinall opposed it to the end the Duke should be the more at his command In October this yeer Matthew Bishop of Sion commonly called the Cardinall of the Swizzers came into England from the Emperour Maximilian by whose soliciting and Cardinall Woolseys perswasion the King lent the Emperor a great some of money for Woolsey being angry with the King of France for detaining the revenewes of his Bishoprick of Tourney perswaded King Henry that the best way to abate the French Kings power was to furnish the Emperour money the better to maintaine warre against him and what Woolsey said was in those dayes to King Henry an Oracle This yeer the King kept his Christmas at his manner of Greenwich where on Twelfth night according to his custome rare devices with great magnificence were presented after which time the King exercised himselfe much in Hawking which was like to have proved no good sport to him for one time following his Hawke and leaping over a Ditch with a Pole the Pole brake so that if one Edmund Mody a foot-man had not leapt into the water and lift up his head which was fast in the clay he had been drowned In this yeer also there happened in the City of London an Insurrection against strangers specially of Artificers complayning that strangers were permitted to resort hither with their Wares and to exercise Handy-crafts to the great hindrance and impoverishing the Kings own Subjects and not onely so but that they were borne out in many great Insolencies and wrongs they offered to the English as one time it happened a Carpenter in London called Williamson had bought two Pigeons in Cheap-side and was about to pay for them when a French-man tooke them out of his hand saying they were no meat for a Carpenter well said Williamson I have bought them and I will have them nay said the French-man I will have them for my Lord Embassadour hereupon they grew to words and complaint was made to the French Embassadour who so aggravated the matter to the Major that the Carpenter was sent to prison and when Sir Iohn Baker sued to the Embassadour for him he answered by the body of God the English knave was worthy to loose his life for denying any thing to a French-man and other answer he could have none Matry like and worse Insolencies were offered by changes which one Iohn Lincoln a Broker drew into a Bill and prevailed with Doctor Beale Preacher on Easter Tuesday at the spittle to reade it openly in the pulpit which so stirred up many that strangers could hardly passe the streets but were strucken and sometimes beaten downe At last one evening many Prentises and others assembling rifled some strangers houses and much mischief was like to be done but by the tare of the Maior and Aldermen and by the ind●stry of Robert Brook Recorder and Sir Thomas Moore ●hat had bin under shriefe of London they were gotten to be quiet and many of the disturbers were sent to prison whereof Lincolne and twelve other were hanged foure hundred more in their shirts bound in ropes and halters about their neckes and thereupon called the black wagon were brought to Westminster where the King himselfe sate that day and when the Cardinall had charged them with the greatnesse of their offence they all cryed mercy mercy and then the King by the mouth of the Cardinall pardoned them all which clemency purchased the Ki●g no small love amongst the people In this ninth yeere in Iune King Henry had divers Embassadors at his Court for whose entertainment he prepared a costly Justs himselfe and twelve more against the Duke of Suffolke and other twelve The King had on his Head a Ladies sleeve full of Diamonds and perhaps something else of the Ladies in hes heart which made him performe his courses with the applause of all beholde●s This yeere by reason of a sweating sicknesse Michaelm●s Tearme was adjourned and the yeere following Trinity Tearme was held one day at Oxford and then adjourned againe to Westminster About this time Cardinall Woolsey obtained of Pope Leo authority to dispence with all Offences against the spirituall Lawes by vertue whereof he set up a Court and called it The Court of the Legat in the which he proved Testaments and heard Causes to the great hindrance of all the Bishops of the Realme and to the debauching of Priests and Religious persons who relying upon his greatnesse tooke ●uch a liberty of licentiousnesse to themselves that none was more disorderly then those that were in orders and supposii●g perhaps they might lawfully comit such sins themselves as they forgave to others And indede the Cardinalls carriage exceeded all boundes of moderation for when he said masse he made Dukes and Earles to serve him of wine with a say taken and to hold the bason at the Lauatory and when the Archbishop of Canterbury writing a letter to him subscribed your brother William of Canterbury he tooke it in great dudgion to be termed his brother It was now the tenth yeere of King Henries Reigne when the Kin● of France longing much to have Turney restored to him by great guifts and greater promises● wonne ●he Cardinall Woolsey to move the King in it who upon his perswasions was contented to be treated withall about it to which the King of France sent the Lord Bonquet high Admirall of France and the Bishop of Paris who in there attendance having above fourescore Gentlemen and with their servants and all above twelve hundred arived in England and on Munday the seaven and twentieth of September were met at Black-heath by the Ea●le of Surrey high Admirall of England attended likewise with above five hundred Gentlemen and others who conducted them to
of Heraulds therein But this notwithstanding being no Lord of the Parliament he was tried by a common Jurie and by them was found guilty and thereupon had judgement of death and the nineteenth of Ianuary was beheaded on the Tower-hill The Duke was attainted by Parliament and kept in prison ●ill in the first yeer of Queen Mary the Attaindour was reversed The death of this Earle might lay an imputation of cruelty upon King Henry if a just jealousie growing from the many circumstances of the Earles greatnesse in the tender age of his owne Sonne did not excuse him Soone after the death of this Earle the King himselfe died having made his last Will in which he tooke order that his Sonne Edward should succeed him in the Crowne and he dying without issue his daughter Mary and she dying without issue his daughter Elizabeth although another order of succession had passed before by Act of Parliament The Executors of his last Will were these sixteene Thomas Cranmor Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Wriothsley Lord Chancellour Sir William Pawlet Lord Saint Iohn and great Master of the Houshold Sir Edward Seymor Earle of Hartford and high Chamberlin of England Sir Iohn Russell Lord Privie Seale Sir Iohn Dudley Viscount Lisle Lord Admirall● Cutbert Tunstall Bishop of Durham Sir Anthonie Browne Master of the Horse Sir Edmund Montacute Lord chiefe Justice of the Common-Pleas Sir Thomas Bromley one of the Justices of the Kings Bench Sir Edward North Chancellour of the Augmentation Sir William Paget Knight of the Order Sir Anthonie Dennie Sir William Herbert Sir Edward Wootton Treasurour of Callice and Nicholas VVootton Deane of Canterbury and Yooke To whom were adjoyned as assistance these twelve Henry Fitz Allan Earle of Arundell VVilliam Par Earle of Essex Sir Thomas Cheyney Treasurour of the Houshold Sir Iohn Gage Controlour Sir Anthony VVingfield Vice-chamberlaine Sir VVilliam Peter Principall Secretary Sir Richard Rich Sir Iohn Baker of Sissingherst in Kent Chancellour of the Exchequer Sir Ralph Sadler Sir Thomas Seymour Sir Richard Southwell and Sir Edward Peckham And it was not without need to leave a full Councell Table considering in what termes he left the Kingdome when he died Abroad in league with the Emperour at Peace with the King of France but whether these were not personall onely and no longer binding then King Henry lived might be doubted with the Scots at deadly send with the Pope at utter defiance from both which coasts there could be expected but little faire weather at home the frame of Religion extreamly disioynted and the Clergie that should set it in frame out of frame themselves the mindes of the people extreamly distracted and the Nobility that should cyment them scarce holding themselves together And in this stare was the Kingdome when King Henry the eight dyed in the yeer 1547. the fifty sixth of his life and of his Reigne the eight and thirtieth Of his Taxations IN his fourth yeer in a Parliament at Westminster was granted to the King two Fifteens of the Temporalty and two Tenths of the Clergie and Head-money of every Duke ten marke an Earle five pound a Barron ●oure pound a Knight foure markes and every man valued at eight hundred pounds in goods to pay ●oure markes and so after that rate till him that was valued at forty shillings and he paid twelve pence and every man and woman of fifteen yeers upward four pence In his sixth yeer a Parliament was holden wherin divers subsidies were granted to the King towards the charges of his wars in France in his fourteenth yeer order was taken by the Cardinall that the true value of all mens substance might be knowne and he would have had every man swom to tell what they were worth and required a ●enth part thereof towards the Kings charges in his present wars as the spiritualty had granted a fourth part this the Londoners thought very hard and thereupon were excused for taking oath and were allowed to bring in their bils upon their honesties but when all was done after much labouring by the Cardinall the Clergy granted one halfe of all their yeerly Spirituall Revenues for five yeers and the Temporalty two shillings in the pound from twenty pounds upwards and from forty shillings to twenty pounds of every twenty shillings twelve pence and under forty shillings of every head of sixteen yeers and upwards four pence to be paid in every two yeers in his sixteenth yeer the Cardinall of his owne head attempted by Comission to draw the People to pay the sixth part of every mans substance in plate or monie but this was generally opposed and the People in many Countries rise upon it so as comming to the Kings knowledg ●e utterly disavowed it and blamed the Cardinall exceedingly for attempting it In his foure and twentieth yeer in a Parliament then holden a fifteenth was granted to the King towards his charges of making fortifications against Scotland In his one and thir●ieth yeer a Subsidie of two shillings in the pound of lands and twelve of goods with foure fifteenes were granted to the King towards his charges of making Bulwarks In his five and thirtieth yeer a Subsidie was granted to be paid in three yeers every English-man being worth in goods twenty shillings and upwards to five pounds to pay four pence of every pound and from five pounds to ten pounds eight pence from ten pounds to twenty pound six pence● from twenty pounds and upwards of every pound two shilings strangers as wel denizens as others being inhabitants to pay double and for lands every English-man paid eight pence o● the pound from twenty shillings to five pounds from five pounds to ten pounds sixteen pence and from ten pounds to twenty pou●d● two shillings and from twenty pounds and upwards of every pound three shillings strangers double the Clergy six shillings in the pound of Benefices and every Priest having no Benifice but an Anual stipend six shillings eight pence yeerly during three yeers Of Lawes and Ordinances in his time IN a Parliament holden in his sixth yeere diverse Lawes were made but two most spoken of one for Apparell another for Labourers In his twelvth yeere he caused the Statutes against Inclosures to be revived and Commanded that decaied houses should be built up againe and that inclosed grounds should be laid open which though it did some good yet not so much as it might have done if the Cardinall for his owne benefit had not procured liberty for great men to keep up their inclosures to the oppression of poor men In his seventeenth yeer the King lying at Eltham diverse ordinances were made b● the Cardinall touching the Governance of the Kings House and were long after called the Statutes of Eltham In his eighteenth yeere in the month of May Proclamation was made against all unlawfull games so that in all places tables dice cards and Bowles were taken and burnt but this order continued not long for young men being
thereupon for not coming into England as he had determined The Count found the Queen at Canterbury where she gave him Royall intertainment and Matthew Parker Archbishop of Canterbury Royall intertainment to them both All this while since the death of the Earl of Marre there had been no Regent in Scotland but now by the procurement of Queen Elizabeth chiefly Iames Dowglas Earl of Morton is made Regent who when his Authority in a Parliamentary Assembly was established Enacted many profitable Laws for the defence of Religion against Papists and Hereticks in the name of the King But the pro●ection and keeping of the Kings Person hee confirmed to Alexander Areskin Earl of Marre to whom the custody of the Kings in their tender yeers by speciall priviledge belongeth though hee were himself in his Minority Upon these conditions That no Papists nor factious persons should be admitted to his presence An Earl should come with onely two servants attending him A Baron with onely one All other single and every one unarmed The French King in the mean time sent his Embassadour Mounsier Vyriar to corrupt the Earls of Atholl and H●ntley with large promises to oppose the Regent Queen ELISABETH as much laboured to defend him but though by the ministery of Killigrew shee had drawn Iames Hamilton Duke of Castle-Herald and George Gourdon Earl of Huntley and the most eminent of that Faction upon indifferent conditions to acknowledge the Regent yet VVilliam K●r●●ld Lord Gra●nge whom Murray when hee was Rege●t had made Gove●nour of Edingborough Castle The Lord Hum●s Lydington the Bishop of Dunkeld and others would by no meanes admit of the Regents Government but held that Castle and fortified it in the Queen of Scots name having Lydington for their Counsellor herein and trusting to the naturall strength of the place and to the Duke D' Alva's and the F●e●ch Kings promises to send them supplies both of men and money Now when these persons could by no meanes drawne to accept of conditions of peace and to deliver up the Castle to the Regent Queen Elizabeth who could in no case endure the French in Scotland suffered her self at length to be intreated by the Regent to send Forces Gunnes and Ammunition for assaulting of the Castle upon certain conditions whereof one was that ten Hostages should be sent into England to be security fo● returning the men and Munition unlesse by the common hazard of War they should chance to miscarry The conditions being argued on William Drury Marshall of the Garrison at Barwick with some ●reat Ordnance and Fifteen hundred Souldiers amongst whom were some noble Voluntiers George Carie Henry Carie Thomas Cecill He●ry Lee William Knolles Sutton Cotton Kelway VVilliam Killigrew and others entred into Scotland and besieged the Castle which after three and thirty dayes siege was delivered up to the Regent for the Kings use with all the persons that were in it amongst whom Kircald Lord Grange and Iames his brother Musman and Cook gold-smiths who had counterfeited Coyne in the Castle were hanged although to redeem Granges life a hundred of the Family of the Kircalds offered themselves to be in perpetuall servitude to the Regent besides an annuall Pension of three thousand Marks and twenty thousand pounds of Scottish money in present and to put in caution that from thence forth he should continue in duty homage to the King but it would not bee accepted Humes and the rest were spared through Queen Elizabeths mercifull intercession Lydington was sent to Leith where hee dyed and was suspected to bee poysoned A man of the greatest understanding in the Scottish Nation and of an excellent wit but very variable for which George Buchanan called him the Camelion And now from this time Scotland began to take breath after long Civill Warres and as well the Captaines of both parties as the Souldiers betook themselves into Swedeland France and the Low-Countries where they valorously behaved themselves and wonne great commendation As for Iohn Lesle Bishop of Rosse he was now set at liberty but commanded to depart presently out of England and being beyond the Sea he continued still to sollicite his Mistresse the Queen of Scots cause with the Emperour the Pope the French King and the German Princes of the Popish Religion who all led him on with faire promises but performed nothing For indeed he in whom he had greatest confidence which was the Duke D' Alva was at that time called away partly out of Jealousie of State as being thought to grow too great and partly out of opinion that by his cruelty he made the people to revolt and therefore in his place was sent Ludovicus Zuinga a man of great Nobility in Spain ●ut of a more Peaceable disposition then D' Alva ●ow this man did all good Offices to win Queen Elizabeth to him and minding his owne Affairs only would not intermeddle with the Scottish or English matters About this a frentick Opinion was held by one Peter Bourche● a Gent●eman of the Middle-Temple that it was lawfull to kill them that opposed the truth of the Gospell and so far was he possest with this opinion that he assaulted the famous Seaman Captain Hawkins and wounded him with a dagger taking him for Hutton who at that time was in great favour with the Queen and of her privy Counsell whom he had been informed to be a great Adversary to Innovations The Queen grew so angry hereat that she commanded Marshiall Law should be executed upon him presently till her Counsell advised her that Marshiall Law was not to be used but in the Field and in turbulent times but at home and in time of Peace there must be Legall proceedings Hereupon Bourchet was sent to the Tower where taking a brand out of the fire he strook it into the brains of one of his keepers named Hugh Longwroth and killed him for which fact he was condemned of murther had his right hand cutt off and nayled to the Gallows and then himselfe hanged After the violent death of this Varlet we may speake of the naturall death of two great persons First William Lord Howard of Effingham Son of that warlike Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Agnes Tilney This William was made a Baron by Queen Mary and Lord High Admirall of England and by Queen Elizabeth Lord Chamberlain till such time that being taken with age he yeelded up that place to the Earl of Sussex and was then made Keeper of the Privy Seal which is the fourth degree of honour in England His Son Charles succeeded him in the Dignity of his Barony who was after made Lord Chamberlain to the Queen and then Lord High Admirall of England A while after him dyed Reginold Grey Earl of Kent whom the Queen a yeer before of a private man had made Earl of Kent when as that Title from the death of Richard Grey Earl of Kent who had wasted his Patrimony and was elder brother to this mans
Ambassadours proof out of History That the Kings of Scots born in Scotland did anciently without question hold the Earldome of H●ntington by Right of Inheritance Yet she commanded a Sequestration to be made of the Revenues of those Lands by B●rleigh Master of the Wards and willeth the King That out of the goods of the Earl of Lenox in Scotland satisfaction might be made to his Grand-mothers Creditors here For she too● it in ill part that the King had recalled the In●●o●●ment of the Earldom of Lenox made to his Unkle Charl● and his Heirs after the death of Charles to the prejudice as was suggested to her of Arbella although indeed it be a Priviledge of the Kings of Scotland That they may recall Donations made in their minor●ty The Earl of Morton in the mean while not enduring the disgrace to be outed of his Regency regarded not the prescript Form of Government lately set down but drew the Administration of all matters to himself and kept the King in his own power at the Castle of Sterling admitting none to his presence but whom he pleased At this presumption the Lords growing angry made the Earl of Atholl their Captain and in the Kings Name levyed a great Army and were ready to encounter Morton but by the intercession of Robert Bowes the English Ambassadour they were stayed from fighting and Morton presently betook himself home and the Earl of Atholl soon after died not without suspition of being poysoned At this time the King of Spain and Pope Gregory the thirteenth held secret Consultation to invade at once both England and Ireland and to work the absolute ruine of Queen Elizabeth The Pope to gain the Kingdom of Ireland for his son Iames Buen of Compagno whom he had made Marquesse of Vincola The King of Spain secretly to relieve the Irish Rebells as Queen Elizabeth did the Dutch while friendship in words was upheld on both sides and being known That the greatest strength of England consisted in the Navy Royall and Merchants Ships it was advised that the Italian and Dutch●Merchants should hire these Ships for long Voyages to the end that while they were absent the Queens Navy might be surprized with a greater Fleet and at that time Thomas Stukeley an English fugitive should joyn himself to the Irish Rebells with new Forces For he making great boast and promising the Kingdom of Ireland to the Popes bastard son had so insmuated himself into grace with the ambitious old man that he adorned him with the Titles of Marquesse of Leinster Earl of Wexford and Caterlogh Viscount M●rogh and Baron of Rosse the principall dignities of Ireland and made him Commander over eight hundred Italian Souldiers to be employed in the Irish War With which Forces Stuckeley setting Sayl from 〈◊〉 Vecchia arrived at length in Portingall where he and his Forces● were by the divine providence diverted another way For S●●a●●ia● King of Porti●gall to whom the chief Command in this Expedition against England was assigned being first to dispatch a War in Africa in Ayd of Mahomet Abdall son to the King of Fesse perswaded Stukeley to go along with him into Maure●ania together with his Italian Souldiers and then afterward they would go together against Ireland To this motion Stukeley soon agreed and therein agreed with his destiny for in that memorable Battell where three Kings were slain both he and Sebastian lost their lives At this time Sir Henry Sidney who had been Deputy of Ireland at severall times eleven yeers delivered up his Deputy-ship to Sir William Drury President of Munster Such a Deputy for good Government that if any have equalled him none have exceed him It was now the yeer 1579 and the two and twentieth yeer of Queen Elizabeths Raign when Iohn Casimire son of Frederick the third Count Pala●ine of the Rhyne came into England where after he had been entertained with Tiltings and Justs made Knight of the Garter the Queen tying the Garter about his leg and rewarded with a yeerly Pension he returned And now was Alexander ●●rnise Prince of Parma made Governour of the Netherlands by the King of Spain and Queen Elizabeth supplied the States with a great Sum of money for which William Davyson brought into E●gland the ancient precious Habilliments of the Family of Burgundy and their costly Vessells laid to pawn by Matthew of Austria and the States Si●ier in the mean time herein England cea●eth not by all amorous devices to perswade the Queen to marry Alanson wherein he drew her so far that the Earl of Leicester gave ou● He crept into the Queens affection by love Potions and unlawfull Arts and Simier on the other side endeavoured by all means to cast down Leicester discovering his mariage with the Earl of Essex widdow whereat the Queen grew so angry that she consined him to the Castle at Greenwich and had meant to have him Committed to the Tower but that the Earl of Sussex though his greatest Adversarie disswaded her telling her that none ought to be molested for contracting lawfull Matrimonie But Leicester notwithstanding was so provoked for his confining that he was bent to revenge it and if it be true as some said● he had suborned on Teud●r a Yeoman of the Guard to murder Simier sure it is the Queen by Proclamation commanded that no person should offer injury to the Embassadour or any of his servants At which time it fell out that as the Queen together with Simier the Earle of Lincolne and Hatton Vice-Chamberlaine were rowed in a barge to Greenwich a young man shooting off a Harquebus out of a boate shot one of the rowers in the Queenes Barge thorough the arme with a bullet who was presently taken and ledde to the Gallowes but upon solemne Protestation that he did it unwillingly and out of no malicious Intent he was let go and Pardoned Some would have perswaded the Queen that was purposely suborned to shoote either her or the French Embassadour but she was so far from suspecting her Subjects that she would often say She would not believe any thing against them which a mother would not believe against her children After a few dayes Alanson himself came privately into England with only on or two attendants and came to the Queen at Greenwich at a time when she thought not of it they had secret conference together all parties being sent away after which being seen of very few he returned home but within a moneth or two after the Queen enjoyned the Lord Burleigh treasurer the Earle of Sussex Leicester Hatton and Walsingham seriously to weigh both the dangers and the Commodities likely to arise from the marriage with him and to consult with Simier concerning the marriage Covenants As in England there was some feare of this Frenchman So in Scotland at this time of another Frenchman called Esme Steward Lord of Aubigny who came now into Scotland to visit the King his cosen He was the sonne of Iohn Steward brother to Matthew
Major of London in a gow●e of Crymson Velvet his brethren the Aldermen in gownes of Scarlet and twelve principall Citizens admitted to attend on them all other Citizens stayed from passing thither either by water or by Land by reson of the sicknesse and the first of A●gust following all suitors were by Proclamation forbidden to repay●e to the Count till the winter following At this time the King forgot no● a deliverance he had formerly had which though it were had in Scotland yet he would have notice of it taken in England which was his deliverance from the conspiracy of the Go●ries on the fift day of August three ye●●es before and thereupon Friday being the fift of August was by commandement appo●●●ed to be kept Holy day with Morning Prayer Sermons and Evening Prayer th●t day and Bonfires ●t night which was then and after during his life solemnely o●●erved King Ia●●● had in hi● a● it were two Persons one as he was King of Scotland and in this he was in perfect amity with ●he King of Spain● another as he was King o● England and in this he had some difference with Spaine but he as Rex pacific●● ●●oke the best from both and was altogether for the Olive branch and thereupon when at his comming into England he found letters of Mart granted against Spaniards he first caused them all to be called in and then cons●nted to a Treaty of per●it reconcilment In which Treaty handled at London the 18 o● August 16●4 The Commissioners for the King of England were Thomas Earle of Dorset Charles Earle of Nottingham Charles Earle of Devonshire Henry Earle of North-Hampton and Robert Viscount Cranbourne For the King of Spaine Iohn de Velasco Constable of Castile Iohn de Tassis Earle of Villa Media●a and Alexander Robidius Professor of the Law in the Colledge of Millaine For the Archdukes Charles Count of Aramberg Iohn Richardo● President of the Privy Counsaile and Lodowick Verreikin principall Secretary by whom a Peace being concluded and contained in many Articles The Somer following the King of Spaine sent Don Iohn de Velesco Constable of Castile and Duke of Fryas also Pedraca de la Syerra his great Chamberlaine accompagnied with diverse Marquises Earles and Barons who comming into England were by the Earle of Devonshire on the nineteenth of August brought to the Court where the King in his Chappell in the presence of the ●ommissioners and other English Lords the Duke of Fryas holding the Kings hands between his tooke his Oath upon the holy Bible religiously to obserue and keep all the Articles of the Peace and League agreed upon and in March following being now the third yeare of King Iames Charles Earle of Nottingham Lord high Admirall of England was sent into Spaine to take in like manner the King of Spaine's Oath who accompanied with three Barons and many Knights Gentlemen and other to the number of six hundred and fifty the fifteenth of Aprill arrived at Groyne from whence he was conducted to Valledolid three hundred miles off where the King of Spaine then kept his Court enterteined in all places as he passed at the King of Spaine's charge with so great provisions and such demonstration of love and gladnesse that it plainly shewed the Spaniards were as glad of our friendship as we of theirs The Lord Embassadour being come to Court He caused Thomas Knoll Esquire to deliver the presents sent from the King of England which were siz goodly Horses with saddles and saddle cloaths very richly imbrodered whereof three for the King and three for the Queen two crossebows with sheafes of arrows● foure fowling pieces inlaid with plates of Gold and a couple of Lyme hownds of singular qualities which the King and Queen in very kind manner accepted and then on the thirtyth of May the Lord Embassadour being sent for the King came forth into a large room where having a little Table set before him and a Bible very reverently laid upon it together with a Crucifix The Archbishop of Toledo read the Oath at the reading whereof the Lord Embassadour held the Kings hands between his and the King kneeling down layd his hands upon the Book and after his Oath subscribed to the Articles formerly concluded Whilst the E. of Nothingham was thus imployed in Spaine the right honorable Edward Earle of Hartford was likewise sent Emb●ssador to Albertus and Isabella Archdukes of Austria to take their Oaths for confirmation of the said Articles of Peace which were taken at Bruxell the first of May with great State and solemnity After which as the Earle bestowed on the Archduks servants to the full summe of three thousand pouns So the Archduke at his departy bestowed upon the Earle a Iewell worth nine hundred pounds and a suite of Arms worth three hundred and bore his charges all the time of his stay at Bruxels And now was King Iames truly Rex Pacificus Peece and amity with all Princes of Christendome which few of his Auncestors ever were A little before this in the Month of August in the yeare 1604 the strong Town of Ostend in Flanders after above three years siege and the slaughter of a hundred and twenty thousand men of both sides and in defense whereof Sir Francis Vere Generall and his brother Sir Horatio Vere had shewed great Valour was by the Marquis Spinola taken for which Service the King of Spaine made him Duke of Santa Severina and Lord Generall of all his Forces in the Low-Countryes It was now the third yeare of King Iames his Reigne when he kept Saint Georges Feast at Grenwich and there made two new Knights of the Garter namely the High and Mighty Prince Duke Ulrick heire of Norway and brother to our gracious Queen Anne and the right Noble Lord Henry Howard Earle of North-Hampton And upon the Saturday following in the Hall at Grenwich being richly hanged with Arras he created three Earles one Viscount and foure Barons namely Sir Robert Cecil Viscount Cranbourne he created Earle of Salisbury Thomas Cecil Lord Burley his eldest brother he created Earle of Exceter and Sir Philipe Herbert yonger brother to the Earle of Pembrooke he created Earle of Montgomery then Robert Sidney Baron of Penshurst Lord Chamberlaine to the Queen he created Viscount Lisle Sir Iohn Stanhope Vicechamberlaine to the King he made Lord Stanhope of Harington Sir George Carew Vicechamberlaine to the Queen he made Lord Carew of Clopton● Master Thomas Arundell of Devonshire he made Lord Arundell of Wardez and Master William Cavendish he made Lord Cavendish of Hardwick About this time a strange fancy possessed the braines of a professed Physition one Richard Haidock of new Colledge in Oxford who pretended to preach at night in his sleep in such sort that though he were called aloud or stirred and pull'd by the hands or feet yet would make no shew of either hearing or feeling And this he did often in the presence of many honorable persons that came to heare him
still besieged by the Danish ships but King Edmund hearing of his departure followed him and with small adoe removed the siege and in Triumphant manner entred the City After this neere unto Otford in Kent was another great battaile fought in which Canutus lost foure thousand five hundred men and King Edmund onely six hundred the rest of the Danes saving themselves by ●light whom if King Edmund had pur●ued it is thought that day had ended the warres betweene these two Nations for ever But the ever traiterous Edrick kept King Edmund from pursuing them by telling him of Ambushes and other dangers So as Canutu● had leisure to passe over into Essex but thither also King Edmund followed him where at Ashdone three miles from Saffron Walden another battaile was fought in which ●he Danes being at the point to be overthrowne the traiterous Edrick with all his Forces revoulted to their side by which treachery the English lost the day There died of King Edmunds Nobility Duke Alfred Duke Goodwyn Duke Athelward Duke Athelwyn Earle Urchill Codnoth Bishop of Lincolne Woolsey Abbot of Ramsey with many other The remembrance of which battaile is retained to this day by certaine small hils there remaining whence have beene digged the bones of men Armour and horsebridles After this at Dereherst neere to the river Severn● another battaile was ready to be fought when suddenly a certaine Captaine steps forth and for saving of blood u●ed great perswasions that either they should try the matter by single Combat or else divide the Kingdome betwixt them Upon this the Combat is agreed on and the two Princes entering into a small Island called Alney adjoyning to the City of Glocester in compleat Armour assayled each other at first on horsebacke and after on foote when Canutus having received a dangerous wound and finding himselfe overmatched in strength desired a Compromise and with a loud voyce used these words What necessity should move us most Valiant Prince for obtaining of a Title to endanger our lives were it not better to lay malice aside and condescend to a loving agreement let us therefore become sworne brothers and divide the Kingdome between us This motion was by King Edmund accepted and thus was the Kingdome divided betweene these two Princes Edmund enjoying that part which lies upon the coast of France and Canutus the rest But now Duke Edrick hath his last and greatest Act of treachery to play for King Edmund being retired to a place for natures n●cessity he thurst from under the draught a sharpe speare into his body and then cutting off his head presented it to Canutus with these fawning words All hayle thou sole Monarch now of England for here behold the head of thy Copartner which for thy sake I have adventured to cut off Canutus though ambitious enough of soveraignty yet aba●hed at so disloyall a fact replyed and vowed that in reward of that service his own head should bee advanced above all the Peeres of his Kingdom which soone after he performed for by his command the false Edricks head was cut off and placed upon the highest gate in London The death of this King in this manner some say was acted at Oxford other that he died of naturall sicknesse in London but howsoever he came to his death his Raigne was but onely seven months his body was buried at Glasten●ury neere to his Grandfather King Edgar This King Edmund had by his wife Algyt● two sonnes the eldest named Edward surnamed the Outlaw because he lived out of England in Hungary as a banished man for feare of King Canutus but when his Uncle King Edward the Confessor had obtained the Crowne he was recalled and honourably entertained till he died He married Agatha sister to Queene Sophia wife to Salomon King of Hungarie and daughter to the Emperour Henry the second by whom he had Edgar surnamed Atheling the right Heire of the English Crowne though he never enjoyed it King Edmund had also two daughters Margaret and Christian of whom the younger became a Veyled Nunne at Ramsey in Hampshire the elder Margaret after sole Heire to the Saxon Monarchie married Malcolme the third King of Scotland from which Princely bed in a lineall Descent our High and Mighty Monarch King Iames the first doth in his most Royall person unite the Britaines Saxons Normans and Scottish Imperiall Crownes in one Of the first Danish King in England CAnutus being possest of halfe the Kingdome by composition with King Edmund now after his death seised upon the whole and to prevent all further question he called a Councell of the English Nobility wherein it was propounded whether in the agreement betwixt Edm●nd and him any claime of Title to the Crowne had beene reserved for King Edmunds brethren or sonnes to which not daring to say otherwise they absolutely answered no and thereupon tooke all of them the Oath of Allegeance to Canutus Being thus cleered of all Opposites he prepared with great solemnity for his Coronation which was performed at London by the hands of Levingus surnamed Elstane Archbishop of Canterbury in the yeare 1017. being the first Dane that Raigned Monarch of England But Canutus not thinking himselfe sufficiently safe as long as any that might pretend were in the peoples eye caused first Edwyn the sonne of King Ethelred and brother of Edmund to abjure the Realme who was yet afterward recalled and treacherously murthered by his owne men and his body buried at Tavestock in Devonshire Next were the two sonnes of Edmund Ironside Edward and Edmund whom to the end the people might not see him shed the blood of Innocents he sent to his halfe brother King of Sweden to be made away Then remained Edward and Alfred the sonnes of King Ethelred and them their mother Queene Emma had sent away before to her brother the Duke of Normandie there to be in safety so as none of the Royall blood was now left in the land to give Canutus any feare of competition After this he tooke to wife the vertuous Lady Emma the Relict of King Ethelred by which match he procured to himselfe three great benefits one that hee wonne the love of the people by marrying a Lady whom they so entirely loved another that he got the Alliance of the Duke of Normandi● a neighbou●ing Prince of great power the third that by marrying the mother hee secured himselfe against the sons as likewise Queene Emma was not unwillingly perswaded to the match upon agreement to make her issue if he had any by her to inherit the Crowne of England And to winne the love of the people more hee caused great numbers of his Danes who pestered the Country to return home bestowing amongst them for their satisfaction foure score and two thousand pounds And to winne the love of the people yet more he now set himselfe to the making of good lawes● in a Parliament at Oxford whereof for a Patterne of those times some that concerne Religion may not
sway this businesse by his presence takes a journey Northward where being come as farre as Lincolnshire he lost his beloved wife Queene Eleanor and thereupon going backe to see her Funerall performed at Westminster that done he returnes presently to his Scottish businesse And now sixe yeares were passed since the death of King Alexander and yet nothing concluded in this controversie whereupon King Edward deals privately with Bruce who had the weaker Title but the more friends and promiseth him if he would sweare fealty and homage to the Crowne of England he would Invest him in that of Scotland But Bruce answers he was not so d●sirous to rule as thereby to infringe the liberties of his Countrey Whereupon with the like offer he sets upon Baylioll who having better right but lesse love of the people and more greedy of a kingdome then honour accepts the condition and thereupon is Crowned King at Scone hath fealty done him by all the chiefe Nobility except Bruce comes to New-Castle upon Tyne where King Edward then lay and there with many of his Nobles sweares fealty and doth homage to him as his Soveraigne Lord. Which act done to secure him overthrew him for being little beloved before hereby he became lesse such as stood for Bruce and others of the Nobility tender of the preservation of their Countries liberty took stomach against him and not onely for this but shortly after for his injustice in the case of the Earle of Fife one of the sixe Governours in the time on the Interregnum who had beene slaine by the Family of Alberneth the brother of which Earle prosecuting Law before King Baylioll in his high Court of Parliament and having no right done him King Baylioll giving judgement of the side of the Alberneths he appeales to the Court of the King of England whereupon King Baylioll is summoned appeares sits with King Edward in his Parliament till his cause was to be heard and then is cited by an Officer to arise and to stand in the place appointed for pleading then he craves to answer by a Procuratour but is denied and thereupon descends to the ordinary place and defends his cause himselfe which indignity as he tooke it so incenseth him that he returnes home with a breastfull charged with indignation meditates revenge renues the ancient league with France confirmes it with marriage of his sonne Edward to a daughter of Charles brother to King Philip glad in regard of late offences taken against the King of England to embrace the same which done Baylioll defies King Edward renounceth his Allegeance as unlawfully done being not in his power without consent of the State to doe any such Act. Hereupon brake out that mortall dissension betweene the two Nations which consumed more Christian bloud and continued longer then ever quarrell we reade of did between any two people in the world For he that beganne it could not end it but it lasted almost three hundred yeares and was never throughly abolished till the late blessed union wrought by him in whom Wisdome and Vertue Right and Power concurred all to make it firme And now the fatall Chaire in which the Kings of Scotland used to be Inaugurated seemes to recover its secret operation according to antient Prophesie that whither soever that Chaire should be removed the kingdome should be removed with it and this Chaire King Edward caused to be brought out of Scotland to Westminster and to be placed there amongst the Monuments where it still continues But now King Baylioll being summoned to appeare at New-Castle and refusing to come King Edward enters Scotland with an Army consisting of foure thousand horse and thirty thousand foot besides five hundred horse and one thousand foote of the Bishop of Durham Berwicke is first wonne with the slaughter of fifteene thousand Scots our Writers say more and after that the Castles of Dunbarre Roxborough Edinbough Sterli●g and Saint Iohns Towne and now King Balioll sues for Peace submits himselfe takes againe his Oath of Fealty to King Edward as his Soveraigne Lord which done a Parliament for Scotland is held at Berwicke where the Nobility likewise did Homage to him confirming the same by their Charter under their hands and seales onely William Dowglasse refuseth content rather to endure the misery of a Prison then yeeld to the subjection of the King of England But King Baylioll notwithstanding his submission is sent prisoner into England after his foure yeares Raigne in Scotland and King Edward returnes home leaving Iohn Warren Earle of Sussex and Surrey Warden of all Scotland Hugh Cressingham Treasurer and Ormesloy Chiefe Justice with Commission to take in his name the Homages and Fealties of all such as held Lands of that Crowne But this continued not long for King Edward being absent in France the Scots fell upon the Officers he had left slew Sir Hugh Cressingham with sixe thousand English recovered many Castles and regained the towne of Berwick and all by the animation and conduct of one William Walleys a poore private Gentleman though Nobly descended who seeing his Countrey without a Head and thereby without a Heart all the great men either in captivity or subjection● assembles certaine of as poore and desperate estate as himselfe and leads them to attempt upon whatsoever advantages they could finde to annoy the English and having therein good successe it so encreased both his courage and company that he afterward came to be the generall Guardian of the whole kingdome and was in possibility to have absolutely redeemed his Countrey from the subjection of the English if the speedy comming of King Edward had not prevented him For now King Edward to bring his worke neare together removes his Exchequer and Courts of Justice to Yorke where they continued above sixe yeares and thither he cals a Parliament requiring all his subjects that held of him by knights service to be ready at Roxborough by a peremptory day where there assemble three thousand men at Armes on barded horses and foure thousand other armed men on horse without bards with an Army of foote answerable consisting most of Welsh and Irish besides five hundred men at Armes out of Gascoyne and with this power he makes his second expedition into Scotland the Earles of Hereford and Norfolke with the Earle of Lincolne led his Vauntgard at the famous battell of Fonkirke where the shouts of the Scots were so great that King Edwards horse frighted withall cast him off and brake two of his ribs which notwithstanding he gets up againe goes on and gets the victory wherein are reported to be slaine two hundred knights and forty thousand foot of the Scots but William Walleys with some few escaped to make more work And here againe that kingdome might seeme as if quite overthrowne Most of the estates of the Earles and Barons of Scotland with their titles that had stood out were bestowed on the English and a Parliament is called at Saint Andrewes where all the great
well he performed the third charge of his Fathers Will for subduing of Scotland It was now the sixth yeare after the death of his Father King Edward and Robert Bruce now gotten to be King of Scotland had stayed all this while to see how this new King Edward would prove and when he found by the courses he held that he was like to prove a good easie Enemy he thereupon tooke heart and began to stirre and in a very short time had brought almost all Scotland under his obedience and finding no opposition he entred the English Borders tooke and burnt Townes that now King Edward unlesse he would sit still and suffer Bruce to come and pull his Crown from his head he could not chuse but doe something to stop his proceeding Hereupon he prepares an Army but like himselfe fitter for a Court then for a Campe Many men and great Bravery but readie● to take spoiles then to make spoile and accordingly they sped For going to raise the siege at Str●veling defended for King Edward by the valiant knight Philip Mowbray the Kings Army consisting of a hundred thousand was defeated and overthrowne by the Scots Army consisting of scarce thirty thousand So true is that saying of an ancient Souldier There is more hope of an Army where the General is a Lion though the Souldiers be but Sheepe then of an Army where the Generall is a Sheepe though the Souldiers be Lions But indeed the Scots besides Valour used Policy For having in their owne Army none but Foot no Horse at all they had made Trenches in the Ground three foot deepe covering them with Twigges and Hurdles where the English Horsemen were to passe who Floundring in those Trenches were killed no lesse by their owne Fellowes then by the Enemy In this Battell called of Bannocks borough were slaine the Lord Mawle the Lord Clifford the Lord Tiptoft the Lord William Marshall Sir Giles Doctor Argenton and seven hundred Knights and Squires specially Gylbert Earle of Glocester who had shewed much Valour that day and whom the Scots would willingly have kept for ransome if they had knowne him but he had forgotten to put on his Coate of Armes whereby to be knowne The slaughter of common Souldiers was certainely great though perhaps not so great as Hector Boetius speakes of who saith they were fifty thousand There were taken Prisoners Humfrey de Bohun Earle of Hereford Iohn Seagrave Iohn Claveringham William Latimer and Sir Roger Northbrooke bearer of the Kings shield the King himselfe with the Bishops the Earles of Hartford and Pembroke and Hugh Spenser saved themselves by flight Humfrey de Bohun Earle of Hereford was afterward released in exchange for Bruces Wife who had beene long kept a Prisoner in England After this many English fell away to the Scots and all the North parts from Carlile to Yorke came under their Subjection and the English grew so faint-hearted and into such contempt that three Scots durst venture upon a hundred English when a hundred English durst scarce encounter with three Scots And what can be thought the cause of this great dysaster to this King but the want of his Fathers blessing for not performing the charge he gave him dying which is commonly accompanyed with the want of a higher blessing without which a Vacat is set upon the labours of men that makes them all frustrate But Bruce not satisfied with his Acquests in England sends his Brother Edward into Ireland also who so farre prevailed that many Irish came in unto him and in the end Crowned him King of a great part of that Island and so continued the space of three yeares till the Primat of Armagh and the Lord Brinningham Justiciar of Ireland gathering Forces together opposed him and in a Battaile taking him Prisoner at Dundalke cut off his head with the slaughter of many thousands of the Scots besides With which the Scots are so incensed that they invade againe the English Borders forraging as farre as Yorke whereupon a Parliament is assembled at London wherein an ayde is granted of Armed men to goe against them London sets forth two hundred Canterbury forty Saint Albons ten and so proportionably for all Cities and Boroughs whereby a great Army was levyed which comming to Yorke through mutiny emulation and other impediments was soone dissolved and returned backe without effecting any thing Not long after the Towne of Berwicke was betrayed to the Scots through the treason of Peter Spalding the Governour and other Englishmen whom the King of Scots to make them an Example caused to be hanged for being Traitors to their Country King Edward hearing of the surrendring of Berwicke raiseth an Army and beleaguers it but the Scots to divert his Forces enter upon England by other wayes and were like to have surprised the person of the Queene lying then neare ●orke The siege of B●rwicke is notwithstanding eagerly continued and the King in great possibility to have regained the Towne had not the Earle of Lancaster with his foll●wers withdrawne himselfe upon discontent hearing the King say he would give the keeping thereof to Hugh Spen●●r the younger who was now grown a speciall favourite of the Kings and theref●r● not to be en●ured by the Earle In the mean 〈◊〉 the Scots wonne the Castles of 〈…〉 and Mid●ord so as they possessed the greater part of all North●mberland burning all before them 〈◊〉 they came to ●●●pon which Towne they spoyled● and carrying there three dayes they received ● thousand Markes to save the Towne from burning as they had done the Townes of Nor●hallerton Bor●ugh-bridg● and others In their returning backe they 〈◊〉 Knaresborough and Shipton in C●●ven and all other afore them carrying into ●●land a marvellous number of Cattell besides prisoners men and women● The● ●●●●shire men thus grievously endammaged gather together to the number of ten thousand and at the Towne of Mitton tenne miles from Yorke encounter the Sco●● where they lost three thousand of their men and were defeated● which b●ttell because of the many Spirituall men that were in it was called the white battell Whereof when the King heard● he left the siege of Be●wicke to follow the Scots but they returned another way The yeare following King Edward once againe with a great Army entred Scotland but the Scots having destroyed all afore the King oppressed with famine was forced to re●urne● whom the Scots followed and in a place of the Forest of Blackmore se● upon him that he hardly escaped where were taken Iohn Earle of Britaine and the Lord of Sil●ac● the French Kings Embassadour and many others After this King Edward finding the Scots either too strong or too wily for him made a Truce with them for two yeares some say for thirteene And this was the successe of this unfortunate King in his warres with Scotland Of his tr●●bles at home BUt his troubles abroad were not so grievous as those at home or rather they were those at home that made his
battell saying They were but clouds and would soone passe away yet so watched him that what with light skirmishes and what with skarcity of victuals his forces were so diminished that of thirty thousand which went out of Callice there scarce retunred six thousand home which made King Edward say of this King Charles that he did him more mischiefe sitting still then his Predecessours had done with all their stirring And now by this time all Poictou is lost and all Aquitaine also but onely Burdeaux and Bayon when the Arch-bishop of Roan and others are sent from Pope Gregory the eleventh to mediate a Peace betweene the two Kings but each of them standing upon high termes of conditions nothing could be effected but Truce upon Truce for two or three yeares together In which time Edward Prince of Wales died and with him we may say the Fortune of England being a Prince so full of vertues that he left no place for any vice and if he had lived in the Heroicke times might well have beene numb●ed amongst the nine Worthies His body was buried at Canterbury where his Monument standeth King Edward in his seven and fortieth yeare calleth a Parliament at W●stminster which lasted but eight dayes and to which were Summoned by Writ of Clergy men onely foure Bishops and five Abbots Of King Edwards Acts after the death of the Prince IN the time of the Princes sicknesse King Edw●rd cals a Parliament at Westminster in which when demands were made for supply of the King demands were presently made for redresse of grievances for the subjects It was required that the Duke of Lancaster the Lord Latymer then Lord Chamberlaine Dame Alice Pierce the Kings Concubine and one Sir Richard Sturry might be removed from Court And this was so vehemently urged by their Speaker Sir Peter la Moore that the King rather then not to be supplied gave way unto it and thereupon all these persons are presently put from Court but the Prince soone after dying they are all recalled to Court againe and restored to their former places About this time ex●mplary justice was done upon Sir Iohn Minsterworth knight who was drawne hanged and quartered at Tiburne for Treason by him committed in defrauding Souldiers of their wages Thi● was now the f●ftieth yeare of King Edw●●ds Raigne and he for another Iubilee gra●●s another generall pardon to his subjects● onely William Wic●ham Bishop of Winchester is excepted being lately by procurement of the Duke of Lancaster fallen into the Kings displeasure● and forbidd●● to come to the Parliament This Parliament was called the good Parliament●●●ough it wrought ill effects for Sir Peter de la Mare at the suite of Alice Pierce is committed to perpetuall imprisonment at Not●ingham though within two years after by importunate suite of friends he regained his liberty This Alice Pierce presuming upon the Kings favour grew so insolent that she entermedled with Courts of Justice and other Offices where ●he herselfe would fit to countenance her Causes And now the Duke of Lancast●● is come to have the Regencie and to manage all the affaires of the kingdome but King Edward to prevent the mischiefes when by disordering the succession might grow in the kingdome providently settled the same in Parliament upon Richard of Burdeaux ●reating him first Earle of Chester and Cornwall and then Prince of Wales and caused all the Lords of the Realme to tal●e an Oath to accept him for their King as his lawfull Heire when himselfe should be dead In this meane time a Treaty was had about a marriage betweene this Prince Richard and M●ry a daughter of Charles King of France and an offer was made to King Edward to leave him foureteene hundred Townes and three thousand fortresses in Aq●itaine upon condition he would render Callice and all that he held in Picardy but before any thing could be concluded King Edward died Of his Taxations IN the eighth yeare of his Raigne in a Parliament holden at London there was granted him a fifteenth of the Temporalty a twentieth of the Cities and Boroughs and a tenth of the Clergy In his tenth yeare in a Parliament at Northampton is granted a tenth penny of Cities and Boroughs a fifteenth of others and a tenth of the Clergy Also all such treasure as was committed to Churches through England for the Holy Warre is taken out for the Kings use towards his warres with France The next yeare after all the goods of three orders of Monks Lom●ards Cluniakes and Cistercians are likewise seised into the Kings hands and the like Subsidy as before granted at Nottingham In his twelfth yeare and as some write in absence of the King in a Parliament at Northampton is granted by the Laity one halfe of their Wooll but of the Clergy the whole The next yeare after a fifteenth was likewise paid in Wooll by the Commonalty In his foureteenth yeare in a Parliament at London is granted him for Custom● of every sacke of Wooll forty shillings for every three hundred Wooll Fells forty shil● for every Last of Leather forty shillings and of other Merchandises according to the rate the same to endure from that Easter to the Whitsontide twelve moneth after Besides there was granted of Citizens and Burgesses a ninth part of goods of forraine Merchants and others a fifteenth of Husbandmen the ninth Sheafe the ninth Fleece the ninth Lamb for two years also another tenth of the Clergy and for his present supply he had Loanes of divers persons and the City of London lent tw●nty thousand Markes For the grant of which mighty Subsidy the King besides his Pardon to divers kinds of offendours remits all Amerciaments for transgressions in his Forests Reliefs and Scurage to the first time of his going into Flanders besides all aides for the marriage of his sonnes and daughters during his Raigne pardoning and remitting all ancient debts and ●rr●rages both of his Fermors and others till the tenth yeare of his Raigne and likewise confirmes the great Charter of Magna Chartae In his eighteenth yeare in a Parliament at London a tenth was granted by the Clergy and a fifteenth by the Laity● Besides a Commission is sent into every Shire to inquire of mens abilities and all of five pounds to tenne of Lay Fee were appointed to finde an Archer on horsebacke of twenty five a Demilaunce and so ratably above There had formerly been made a certaine coyne of Gold called the Floren of base alloy for the Kings benefit towards his warres in France but this was now called in● and Nobles of finer metall coyned to the great contentment of the people In his nine and twentieth yeare he hath by Parliament granted unto him fifty shillings upon every sack of Wooll for six years next ensuing by which Imposition it was thought the King might dispend a thous●●d Markes Sterling a day the vent of Wooll was so great in that time But that which exceeded all his Taxations was the Ransome he had in
withall made the Bishop sweare that if the said Iohn and Gaunt should at any time either directly or indirectly attempt the Crown or that rightfully through want of issue it should devolve unto him that then he should discover this matter and make it known unto the King and Councell Afterward the Queen being dead and the Bishop finding Iohn of Gaunt as he thought too much aspiring he secretly told him this relation and this adjuration of his supposed mother advising him not to seeke higher than a private state for else he was bound by oath to make it known to all the World Thus far the Bishop did well but when he saw the Son of Iohn of Gaunt not only aspiring but possessed of the Crown why did he not then discover it and joyn at least with the Bishop of Ca●lile in opposing it Certainly we may know that either the whole relation was but a Fable or that Wickham was a Temporizer or that Iohn of Gaunt was a most patient man to suffer the affront of such an indignity with l●sse than the death of him that did it But howsoever it was it is certain the Duke bore a mortall grudge to the Bishop who had no way to withstand such an enemy but by making Alice Pierce his friend by whose means after two years he was restored to all his livings and afterward K. Edward being dead and Alice Pierce banished by the means of a greater friend than Alice Pierce his full ourse he obteined in the second year of k. Richard a generall pardon under the Great Seale of England and from that time forward enjoyed a quiet life and dyed in the fourth yeare of this King Henry the fourth being then of the age of above 80 years and lieth buried in the Church of St. Swithen● in VVinchester in a monument of his own making in his life time leaving for his heire Thomas Perrot the son of his sister Agnes married to VVilliam Perrot Another great example of the volubility of Fortune in Professors of learning was Roger VValden who dyed in the ninth yeare of this King he was at first a poor Scholler in Oxford and the first step of his rising was to be a Chaplain in the Colledge there of St. Maries from thence by degrees he got to be Dean of Yorke and after this a high step to be Treasurer of England and yet a higher after that up●n the banishment of Thomas Arundell to be Archbishop of Canterbury But bein● now at the top he came down again for in this kings time Thomas Arundell bei●g restored to the Archbishopricke VValden was not only put out of ●hat place 〈◊〉 was called to accompt for the Treasure●ship and though he shewed hi● quietus est yet all his Temporalties were seized and his person imprisoned till by the mediation of the now Archbishop Arundell he was made Treasurer of Calice and after promoted to be B●shop of London The next place after these is justly due to Geoffry Ch●ucer and Iohn Gower two famous Poets in this time and the Fathers of English Poets in all the times after Cha●cer dyed in the fourth yeare of this king and lyeth buried at VVestminster Gower in this kings ninth yeare and was buried in St. Mary Overys Church in Southwarke And now come others to be remembred who lived and died in this kings time Hugh Legate born in Hartfordshire a Monke of St. Albons who wrote Scholies upon Boetius de Consolatione Nicholas Gorham born also in Hartfordshire a Dominick Frier and the French kings Confessor though an Englishman VValte● Disse so called of a Town in Norfolke where he was borne Confessor to the Duke of Lancaster Lawrence Holbeck a Monke of Ramsey who wrote an Hebrew Dictionary Iohn Cotton Archbishop of Armagh Rich●rd Scroope brother to William Scroope Lord Treasurer of England made Archbishop of Yorke and writing an invective against King Henry lost his head William Thorpe an earnest follower of Iohn Wickliffe for which he was committed to Saltwood Castle where he dyed Stephen Patrington born in York●shire and Robert Mascall a Carmelite Frier of Ludlow both of them Confessors to king Henry the fifth Boston a Monke of the Abbey of Burie in Suffolke who wrote a Catalogue of all the Writers of the Church and other Treatises Iohn Purvey who was convented for teaching Doctrine con●rary to the Church of Rome and compelled to recant Thomas Rudburne Bishop of S. Davids who wrote a Chronicle Nicolas Riston who considering the strife between the then Anti-popes wrote a booke De tollendo schismate Robert Wansham a Monke in Dar●etshire who wrote a booke in verse Of the Originall and signification of Words Robert Wimbledon an excellent Preacher as app●ar●th by the Sermon he made upo● this Text Redde rationem Villicatio●is tuae THE REIGNE OF KING HENRY THE FIFTH HENRY of Monmouth so called from the place in Wales where he was born eldest Son of King Henry the fourth succeeded his Father in the kingdom of England to whom the Lords of the Realm swore Homage and Allegiance before he was yet Crowned an honor never done before to any of his Predecessors and afterwards on the ninth of Aprill in the yeare 1412 he was Crowned at Westminster by Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Canterbury with all Ri●es and Solemnities in such case accustomed And as the Scripture speaks of Saul that assoone as Samuel had annointed him King he had a new heart given him and he became another man than he was before So was it with this king Henry for presently after his Coronation he called before him all his old Companions who had been fr●tres in malo with him strictly charging them not to pre●ume to come within ten miles of his Court untill such time as they had given good proofe of their amendment in manners and least any of them should pretend want of maintenance to be any cause of their taking ill courses he gave to every one of them a competent meanes whereby to subsist And knowing as he did the fashion of the Scots and Welch that in times of change they would commonly take adva●tage to make Inroades upon the Borders he therefore ca●sed Forts and Bulwarks in fit places to be erected and placed Garrisons in them for preventing or repelling any such incu●sions Immediately after this he called a Parliament where a Subsidie was granted without asking and in this Parl●ament the Commons began to harp upon their old string of taking away the Temporalties of the Clergie and the Bishops fearing how it might take in the kings ears thought it best to divert him by striking upon another string which they knew would be more pleasing to him which was to shew him the great right he had to the Crown of France And hereupon Chicheley Archbishop of C●nterbury in a long narration deduced the kings Right from Is●bel Daughter to Philip the fourth married to king Edward the second from whom it discended by direct line to his Majesty and no
the Scottish Bishops had no Metropolitane but the Bishop of Yorke was Metropolitane and Primate of Scotland now in this Kings time Pope Six●●● appointed the Bishop of Saint Andrews to be Metropolitane of Scotland who had twelve Bishops under his obedience Of Workes of Piety done in his time THIS King laid the foundation of the new Chappell at Windso● and his Queen Elizabeth founded the Queens Colledge in Cambridge and endowed it with large Possessions About his fifteenth yeere Doctor Woodlarke Provost of Kings Colledge in Cambridge Founded Katherine-hall there In his seventeenth yeer the Wall of the City of London from Cripplegate to Bishopsgate was builded at the charges of the Citizens also Bishopsgate it selfe was new built by the Merchants 〈◊〉 of the Styliard Also in this yeere dyed Sir Iohn Crosby Knight late Major of London who gave to the repairing of the Parish-Church of St. Helens in Bishopsgatestreet where he was buried 500 Marks to the repairing of the parish Church of He●w●rth in Middlesex forty pounds to the repairing of London-wall an hundred pounds to the repairing of Rochester-bridge ten pounds to the Wardens and Commonalty of the Grocers in London two large Pots of silver chased halfe gilt and other Legacies About this time also Richard Rawson one of the Sheriffs of London caused an house to be builded in the Church-yard of St. Mary Hospitalll without Bishopsgate where the Major and Aldermen use to sit and heare the Sermons in Easterholy-daies In his nineteenth yeere William Tailour Major of London gave to the City certaine Tenements for the which the City is bound to pay for ever at every Fifteene granted to the King for all such as shall dwell in Cordwainers-street-ward sessed at twelve-pence apiece or under And about the same time one Thomas 〈◊〉 Sheriffe of London builded at his own costs the great Conduit in Che●pside In his three and twentieth yeere Edmund Shaw Goldsmith who had been Major of London at his own costs re-edified Cripplegate in London which gate in old time had been a Prison Of Casualties happening in his time IN his third yeare the Minster of Yorke and the Steeple of Christs Church in Norwich were burnt In his seventeenth yeere so great a Pestilence reigned in England that it swept away more people in foure moneths than the Warres had done in fifteen yeeres past Also in his nineteenth yeere was another Pes●●lence which beginning in the later end of September continued till the beginning of November twelve-moneth following in which space of time innumerable people dyed Of his wife and issue KIng Edward had been contracted to Eleanor daughter of Iohn Talbot Earle of Shrewsbury maried after to Sir Thomas Butler Baron of S●dely but he maried Elizabeth the widdow of Sir Iohn Grey daughter of Richard Woodvile by his wife Iaqueline Dutchesse of Bedford she lived his wife eighteene yeeres and eleven moneths by whom he had three sonnes and seven daughters Edward his eldest sonne borne in the Sanctuary at Westminster Richard his second sonne borne at Shrewsbury George his third sonne borne also at Shrewsbury but dyed a childe Elizabeth his eldest daughter promised in mariage to Charles Dolphin of France but maried afterward to King Henry th● Seventh Cicely his second daughter promised in mariage to Iames Duke of ●othsay Prince of Scotland but was maried afterward to Iohn Viscount Wells whom she outlived and was againe re-maried but by neither husband had any issue she lyeth buried at Quarena in the Isle of Wight Anne his third daughter was maried to Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolke Earle Marshall and High Treasurer of England by whom she had two sonnes both dying without issue she lyeth buried at Framingham in Norfolk Bridget his fourth daughter borne at Eltham in Kent became a Nunne in the Nunnery of Dartford in Kent which king Edward had founded Mary his fifth daughter was promised in mariage to the King of Denmarke but dyed in the Tower of Greenwich before it could be solemnized she lyeth buried at Windsor Margaret his sixth daughter dyed an Infant Katherine his seventh daughter was maried to William Courtney Earle of Devo●shire to whom she bare Lord Henry who by King Henry the eighth was created Marquesse of Exeter Concubines he had many but three specially and would use to say that he had three Concubines who in their severall properties excelled One the merriest another the wyliest the third the holyest harlot in his Realme as one whom no man could lightly get out of the Church to any place unlesse it were to his bed The other two were greater personages than are sit to be named but the merriest was Shores wife in whom therefore he tooke speciall pleasure This woman was borne in London worshipfully descended and well maried but when the King had abused her anon her husband as he was an honest man and did know his good not presuming to touch a Kings Concubine left her up to him altogether By these he had naturall issue Arthur sirnamed Plantagenet whose mother as is supposed was the Lady Elizabeth Lucy created Viscount Lisle by King Henry the Eight at Bridewell in London And Elizabeth who was maried to Sir Thomas Lumley knight to whom she bare Richard afterward Lord Lumley from whom the late Lord Lumley did descend Of his Personage and Conditions HE was saith Comines the goodliest Personage that ever mine eyes beheld exceeding tall of statu●e faire of complexion and of most Princely presence and we may truly say he was of full age before he came to one and twenty for being but eighteen yeeres old when his Father dyed he sued out his livery presently so as he began the race of his for●●ne just like Augustus Caesar each of them at the same age succeeding an Ancestour after a violent death and each of them left to set on a roofe where but onely a fo●●●●tion was laid before For his conditions he was of an erected composure both of body ●nd minde but something sagging on the Fleshes side and never any man that did marry for Love did so little love Mariage for he tooke as much pleasure in other mens wives as in his owne He was never more confident than when he was in danger nor ever more doubtfull than when he was s●●ure Of the foure Cardinall virtues For●●nde and Prudence were in him naturally Temperance ●●d Justice but to serve his turne He was politick even to irreligion for to compasse his ends he would not stick to sweare what he never meant Yet he was Religious beyond Policy for before Battailes he used to make his Prayers to God after Victories to give him Thanks He was farre from being proud yet very ambitious and could use familiarity and yet retaine Majestie He was a great Briber and wha● he could not get by force he would by Rewards as much as what he could not get by Battery he would by Mines H● was too credulous of Reports which made him be in errour sometimes to the h●rt
King himselfe sitteth and ministreth the Law because he considered that it is the chiefest duty of a King to administer the Laws And here to get the love of the people by a feigned clemency he sent for one Fogge out of Sanctuary who for feare of his displeasure was fled thither and there in the fight of all the people caused him to kisse his hand After his return home he tooke to wife the Lady Anne youngest daughter of the great Warwicke and the relict of Prince Edward sonne of Henry the sixth though ●hee could not be ignorant that he had been the Author both of her husbands and 〈◊〉 death But womens affections are Eccentrick to common apprehension whereof the two Poles are Passion and Inconstancy Against his Coronation he had sent for five thousand men out of the North and these being come under the leading of Robin of Riddesdale upon the fourth of Iuly● together with his new bride he went from Baynards Castle to the Tower by wa●●● where he created Edward his Sonne a childe of ten yeers old Prince of Wales● 〈◊〉 Lord Howard Duke of Norfolke his Sonne Sir Thomas Howard Earle of Surry● 〈◊〉 Lord Berckley Earle of Nottingham Francis Lord Lovell Viscount Lovell 〈…〉 Chamberlane and the Lord Stanley who had been committed pri●oner to the ●ower in regard his Sonne the Lord Strange was reported to have levied forces 〈…〉 not only that day was released out of prison but was made Lord 〈◊〉 of his Househould The Archbishop of Yorke was likewise then delivered but Morton B●shop of Ely as one that could not be drawne to the disinheriting of 〈◊〉 Edwards children was committed to the Duke of Buckingham who sent him to his Castle of Brecknock in Wales there to be in custody The same night were made seventeen knights of the Bath Edmund the Duke of Suffolkes sonne George Gray the Earle of Kents sonne Willia● the Lord Zouches sonne Henry Aburga●●●● Christopher Willoughby Henry Babington Thomas Arundell Thomas Boleigne Gerv●● Clifton William ●ay Edmund Bedingfield William Enderly Thomas Lewku●● Th●m●● of Vrmond Iohn Bromne and William Berckley The next day being the fifth o● Iuly the King rode through the City of London to VVestminster being accompanied with the Dukes of Norfolk Buckingham and Suffolk the Earles of Northu●b●rland Arundell Kent Surrey VVil●shire Huntington Nottingh●m Warwick and Lincol●● the Viscounts Liste and Lovell the Lords Stanley A●dely D●cres Pe●●ers of Chartley Powis Scroope of ●psale Scroope of Bolton Gray of Codner Grey of Wilton Sturton Cobham Morley Burgeveny Zouch Ferrers of Croby Wells Lumley Matr●vers Herbert and Beckham and fourescore Knights On the morrow being the sixth of Iuly the King with Queene An●e his wife came downe out of the White-Hall into the Great Hall at Westminster and went directly to the Kings Bench and from thence going upon Ray-cloath bare-footed went unto St. Edwards shrine all his Nobility going with him every Lord in his degree The Bishop of Rochester bore the Crosse before the Cardinall Then followed the Earle of Huntington be●ng a paire of gilt-spurres signifying Knighthood Then followed the Earle of ●●●ford bearing St. Edwards sta●fe for a Relique After him came the Earle of ●●●thumberland bare-headed with the pointl●sse sword naked in his hand signifying Mercy The Lord Stanley bare the Mace of the Constableship The Earle of Ken● bare the second sword on the right hand of the King naked with a point which signifyed Justice to the Temporalty The Lord Lovell bore the third sword on the Kings left hand with a point which signifyed Justice to the Clergie The Duke of Suffolk followed with the Scepter in his hand which signified Peace The Earle of Lincolne bore the Ball and Crosse which signified Monarchy The Earle of S●rry bore the fourth sword before the King in a rich scabbard which is called the sw●●d of Estate Then went three together in the midst went Gartar king of Armes in his rich Coat and on his right hand went the Major of London ●earing a Mace and on his left hand went the Gentleman-Usher of the Privy Chamber Then followed the Duke of Norfolk bearing the kings Crown between his hands Then followed king Richard in his roabes of Purple-velvet and over his head a Canopy bor●e by foure Barons of the Cinque-Ports and on each side of the king went a Bishop● on one side the Bishop of Bath on the other of Durham Then followed the Duke of Buckingham bearing the kings traine with a white staffe in his hand signifying the office of High Steward of England Then followed the Queenes traine before whom was borne the Scepter the Ivory rod with the Dove signifying innocency and the Crown herselfe apparelled in roabes like the kings under a rich Canopy at every corner thereof a bell of gold On her head she wore a circlet set full of precious stones the Countesse of Richmond bearing her traine the Dutchesses of Norfolk and Suffolk in their Coronets attending with twenty Ladies of Estate most richly attired In this order they passed the Palace into the Abbey and going up to the High Altar there shifted their roabes and having other roabes open in divers places from the middle upward were both of them Anoynted and Crowned and then after the Sacrament received having the host divided betwixt them they both offered at St. Edwards shrine where the king left St. Edwards Crowne wherewith he had been Crowned and put on his owne and this done in the same order and state as they came they returned to Westminster-hall and there held a most Princely feast at the second course whereof there came into the Hall Sir Robert Dymock the kings Champion making Proclamation that whosoever would say th●● king Richard was not lawfull king of England he was there ready to prove it against him and thereupon threw down his Gantlet and then all the Hall cryed king Richard king Richard And thus with some other Ceremonies the Coronation ended and the king and Queen returned to their lodgings Presently after this king Richard sent a solemne Ambassage to Lewis king of France to conclude a Leag●e and Amity with him but the French king so abhorred him and his cruelty that hee would not so much as see or heare his ●●b●ssadors but sent them away with shame in disgrace of their Master At this t●me with his Queen he made a Progresse of Glocester under colour to 〈…〉 of his old Honour but indeed to be out of the way having a speciall 〈…〉 to be acted for though he had satisfied his Ambition by depriving his 〈◊〉 Nephews of their livelihoods yet it satisfied not his Feare if he deprived 〈…〉 also of their lives For effecting whereof his old friend the Duke of Buck●●●●●● was no fit instrument it must be one of a baser metall and to finde out 〈…〉 henceded not goe farre For upon inquiry he was told of two that lay 〈…〉 it Chamber to him Sir Thomas and Sir Tyrrell● two brothers like 〈…〉 not more
Deane of Pauls● to be Commissioners for ma●ing enquiry of the Offenders 〈◊〉 for assessing their Fines which they did with great severity to some with great mildnesse to others to all with equity 〈◊〉 was now the fourteenth yeer of the kings Reigne when one Sebastian ●●bato ● Ge●●●a's Sonne born ●t B●iston perswaded the king to man and victua●● a ship at Bristow ●o search for 〈◊〉 stand which he said he knew to be replenished with rich Commodities who setting forth with three other small sh●ps of London merchants returned home two yeer● after when he had made a large discovery westward and would have gone to 〈◊〉 if the Mariners had not forced him to return a likewise si● years before one Christop●er Columbus a Spanyard made the first discovery of America Perkin being in the Tower and carefully guarded yet found me ●s to escape and fled to the Priory of Sheen neer Richmond where discovering himselfe to the Pryor of that Monastery he begged of him for Gods sake to get the kings Pardon fo● his life which the Prior effected but then was Perkin brought to the Court at Westminster and was one day set fettered in a paire of Stocks before Westminster-hall and there stood a whole day the next day he was set upon a like Scaffold in Cheape-side and there standing the whole day also hethen read openly his confession wr●tten with his own hand wherein he declared his Parentage and the place of his Birth and all the passages of his Life and by what means he was drawn to make this attempt After this he was committed againe to the Tower and care taken he should be better looked to than he was before But all the care notwithstanding once againe Perkin attempted to escape and drawing into a Confederacy with him the young Earle of Warwicke by faire words and large promises so corrupted his keepers Stra●gwish Bl●wet Astwood and long Roger servants to Sir Iohn Digbie Lieutenant of the Tower that they intended to have slaine their Master and set Perki● and the Earle of Warwicke at liberty But this practice was soone discovered ●o that Perki● and Iohn a Water sometime Major of Corke in Ireland one of Perki●s chiefe founders were on the sixteenth day of November arraigned at Westminster and condemned and both of them on the two and twentieth day were drawn to Tyburne and there hanged where Perki● tooke it upon his death that the Confession he had formerly made was true soon after also Blewet and Astwood two of the Lieutenants men were in the same place executed On the one and twentieth day of the same month Edward Plantagemet Earle of Warwicke was arraigned at Westminster before the Earle of Oxford then High Steward of England not for consenting to breake Prison but for conspiring with Perkin to raise Sedition and destroy the king and upon his Confession had Judgement and on the eight and twentieth day of the same month in the yeer 1499. was brought to the Scaffold on the Tower-hill and there beheaded This Earle of Warwick was the eldest Sonne of the Duke of Clarence and was the last Heire male of the name of Plantagenet and had been kept in the Tower from his very In●ancy out of all company of Men and fight of Beasts so as he scarcely knew a Hen from a Goose nor one beast from another and therefore could never know how to practice his escape of himselfe but by Perki●s subtlety for which cause the king favoured him so farre that he was not buried in the Tower but at Bissam by his Ancestours And thus ended the designes of Perki● Warbeck which had troubled both the Kingdome and the King the space of seven or eight yeers a great part of the Kings Raigne But in the time of Perki●s being in the Tower another like practice was set on foot for an Augusti●e Frier called Patrick in the County of Suffolk having a Scholler named Ralph Wilford a Cordwayners Sonne he caused him to take upon him to be the Earle of Warwicke lately by great chance gotten out of the Tower and they going together into 〈◊〉 when the Frier perceived some light credit to be given to him he then stuck not to declare it openly in the Pulpit desiring all men to assist him But this practice was soone discovered and both the Mr. and the Scholler were apprehended attainted the Scholler Wilford was hanged on Shrovetuesd●y at S. Thomas Waterings and the Frier was condemned to perpetuall Prison for at that time so much reverence was attributed to holy Orders that a Priest though ●e had commited Treason against the king yet had h●s life spared And this pract●●e was some cause to exasperate the king against the Earle of Warwicke who though innocent in himselfe yet was nocent in pretenders and besides king Ferdinand of Spai●e with whom at this time there was a Treaty for marriage of his Daughter to Prince Arthur had written to the king in plaine terms that he saw no assurance of his Sonnes succession as long a● the Earle of Warwicke lived and thus all things unfortunately concurred to bring this innocent Prince to his end In the fifteenth yeer of his Reigne partly to avoide the danger of the Plague then raigning in England but chiefely to conferre with the Duke of Burgoigne about many important businesses the King and Queen sayled over to Callice where at an enterview between him and the Duke at Saint Peters Church without Callice the Duke offered to hold the kings sturrup at his alighting which the king by no meanes would permit but descending from horse-back they embraced wi●h great affection ●nd after Communication had between them the King and Queen in the end o● Iu●● returned into England In his seventeenth yeer ●wo great Marriages were solemnized the Lady 〈◊〉 of Spaine was sent by her Father king Ferdi●a●d with a puissant Army of S●●ps into E●gland where she arrived at Plimouth the second day of October and on the fourteenth of November after● was espo●sed openly to Prince Ar●hur both be●ng clad in white He of the age of ●●fteen yeers shee of eighteen at night they were laid together in one Bed where they lay as Man and Wife all that night when ●o●ning appeared the Prince as his servants about him reported called for drinke which before time he had not used to doe whereof one of his Chamb●rlaines ●sking 〈◊〉 the cause● he answered merrily saying I have been this night in the middest o● Spa●●● which is a hot Country and ●hat make● me so dry though some write tha●● grave Matron was laid in bed between them to hinder actuall Consummation●● T●e Ladies portion was two hundred thousand Duckets her joynture the 〈◊〉 part of the Principality of Wales Cornwall and Ch●ster At this Marriage was gr●●● solemnity and Royall Justings during which time there came into London 〈◊〉 Earle a Bishop and divers other noble personages sent from the king of Scots 〈…〉 conclusion of a Mariage before treated of
of Terwyn where he strongly fortified his Tents with Ord●ance and other Warlike defences In which meane time the Captaine of Bulloigne knowing that many of the Garison of Callice were gone with the King thought to take advantage of ●heir absence and do some great exploit upon Callice and therupon with a thousand men came to New●ha● Bridge and killing the watchmen tooke it but afterward some of his company going to fetch Booties and coming so neere the walls of Callice that they were descried about sixscore Coopers and other Artificers issued forth and driving them back recovered againe Newnham Bridge and took divers of them prisoners especially when the gate of Callice called Bulloign gate was opened that Colepepper the under Marshal with two hundred Archers issued forth and joyned with them The French prisoners were brought to Callice and there sold in open Market amongst others a Cooper of the Town of Callice bought a prisoner that dwelt in Bulloigne and had of the prisoner for his ra●some a hundred Crowns when the mony was paid the French man prayed the Cooper to see him safe delivered and to conduct him out of danger the Cooper was content and went himselfe alone with the French man till he came beyond the Cawsey and there would have departed but the French man perceiving that the Cooper was aged and that no rescue was nigh● by force tooke the Cooper prisoner ●●d caried him to Bulloigne making him pay two hundred Crownes before h● was delivered Whilst King Henry lay thus at the siege of Terwyn on the eleventh of Au●●●● the Emperour Maximilian was come to Ayre which King Henry understanding went and met him between Ayre and the Campe where with great complements they saluted each other but their complements were broken off by ●●e extreame foule weather which happened that day the morrow after the Emperour Maximilian came from Ayre to the Kings Campe wearing a Crosse of Saint George as the Kings Souldier and receiving wages of him for service an honour never done to any King of England before and yet was no disparagement to the Emperour for he was royally received and lodged in a Tent of cloath of gold that as no Emperour before had ever been souldier to a King so no souldier before was ever lodged in such a Tent. At this time the City of Terwyn being in some distresse for want of victualls the French King appointed all his horsemen to the number of eight thousand to see victualls by any means convoyed into it the charge of which Convoy was committed to Monsieur De Priennes but King Henry by advise of the Emperour Maximilian had made Bridges to passe his men over the river to the other side of the Towne where was easiest accesse in such sort that when the French Convoy came with their victualls and thought to have entred the Towne they found the English Army there ready to resist them whereupon a fierce battell was fought between them but in conclusion the French were put to flight and fled so fast that from thence it was called the battell of Spurres for that they used more their spurres in running away then theit Launces in fighting In this battell the Duke of Longuevyle the Lord of Clermont Captaine Bayard and others to the number of twelve score were taken prisoners and all brought to the Kings presence with six Standards that were likewise taken After the battell the King made Sir Iohn Pechye Banneret and Iohn Carre Knight who had both of them done great service in this encounter King Henry having obtained this victory against the French horsemen and hindred the Towne of Terwyn from reliefe of victualls and withall plying his battery more fiercely then before made the Townsmen soone fall to desire composition and upon condition that the souldiers might depart with Horse and Armour they yeelded up the Towne into the Kings hands This was done on the eighteenth of August and the Earle of Shrewsbury entred the Towne the same night and set up the Banner of Saint George in the highest place of it in signe of victory and swore all the Townsmen to be true subjects to the King of England The four and twen●eth of August the King himselfe entred the Towne and dined in the Bishops Palace where it was resolved that the Walls and Fortifications of Terwyn should be raced and the Towne burnt all but the Cathedrall Church and the Pallace all the Ordnance was sent to Ayre to be kept there to the Kings use After this it was concluded that the King should lay siege to the City of Tourney whereupon he set forward in three battells the Eeale of Shrewsbury led the Vangard the King and the Emperour the Battaile and the Lord Chamberlaine the Re●eward In this order the Kings Army marched forwards towards Tourney by the way he went and visited the yong Prince of Castile and the Lady Margaret Governesse of the Prince in the Towne of Lisle where with all Mag●ificence or rather indeed Reverence he was entertained and after he had staied there three dayes he took his leave and being gone a mile and somewhat more out of the towne he asked where his Campe lay and no man there could tell the way and guide they had none the night was so darke and mystie by chance at last they met with a victualler comming from the Camp who was their guide and conducted them to it By which we may see to what distresse a great Prince may be brought by a little over-sight On the one and twentieth day of September the King removed his Campe towards Tourney and being come within three miles of the towne he sent Garter king of Armes to summon the towne but they though they had but few men of warre amongst them yet stood upon their guard whereupon the King begin it on all sides and made such firce batteries upon it that though it were written on the gates of the towne graven in stone Iamais tu ne as perdu ton Pucellege thou hast never lost thy Maidenhead yet now they were glad to loose it and in conclusion they sent a trumpet to require a Parley and then sued for mercy and yeelded it up and paid ten thousand pounds sterling besides for redemption of their liberties and then Master Thomas VVoolsey the Kings Almoner calling before him all the Citizens yong and old swore them to the King of England the number of whom was fourescore thousand This done the King entred into Tourney and calling into his presence Edward Guildford VVilliam Fitzwilliams Iohn Dansie VVilliam Tyler Iohn Sharpe VVilliam Hussey Iohn Savage Christopher Garnysh and some other valiant Gentlemen he gave to them the order of knighthood and then remembring the great entertainment the Prince of Castile and the Lady Margaret had given him at Lisle he would not be behinde them in such courtesie and thereupon in●ited them solemnly to his citie of Tourney whom at their coming he brought into the towne in great
but ●ow he means to be in earnest and therefore sends over the Duke of Suffolk with an Army the foure and twentieth of August attended with the Lord Montacute and his b●other Sir Arthur Poole the Lord Herbert sonne to the Earle of Worces●er the Lord Ferrers the Lord Marney the Lord Sands the Lord Barkley the Lord ●owis and the Baron Curson Sir Richard Wink●●eld Chauncellour of the Duchy of Lancaster Sir Iohn Vere Sir Edward Nevile Sir William Kings●on Sir Richard Weston Sir Andrew Winsore Sir Robert Winkfield Sir Anthony Winkfield Sir Edward Guildford Sir Edw Grevile Sir Edw Chamberlaine Sir Thomas Lucy Sir Everard Digby Sir Adrian Foskew Sir Richard Cornwall Sir William Courtney Sir William Sidney Sir Henry Owin sand many other Knights and Gentlemen In the whole Army were six hundred Demylaunces two hundred Archers on Horsback three thousand Archers on foo● and five thousand Bilmen Also seventeen hundred taken out of the Garrisons of Hammes Guysnes and Callice in all ten thousand and five hnndred besides two thousand six hundred labourers and Pioners With this Army the Duke of Suffolk took the field his vauntguard was led by the Lord Sands Cap●aine of the right wing was Sir William Kingston of the left Sir Everard Digby Captain of all the Horsmen was Sir Edward Guildford Marshall of Callice the Duke himselfe led the Battaile and Sir Richard Winkfield the Reareward The Dukes first enterprise was the winning of Bell Castle which the Lord Sands and the Lord Ferres assaulted and had it yeelded to them and then Sir VVilliam Skevington was placed Captaine in it At this time the Duke of Bourbon high Constable of France began to have his mind aliena●ed from the King of France and ●o draw him the more on the Duke of Suffolk sent Sir Iohn Russel afterward created Duke of Bedford to him who passing in disguised apparell so prevailed with him that he professed to take part with the Emperour and the King of England who having ten thousand Almans in his pay it was thought fit for encourag●ment of the English to proclaime in the Army the accesse of so powerfull an assistant and therupon the Duke of Suffolk removed to Ard and so forward into Picardie At Cordes between Terwyn and Saint Omers there came to him the Lord of Isilst●yn and with him of Spaniards Almans and others three thousand Foot-men and five hundred Horse With these forces the Duke marching on took first the rich Town of Anchor then the Castle of Bounguard and then by assault the Towne of Bray though two thousand good men of war were in it After this the Towres of Cappe and Roy Lihome and Davenker and then came before ●he Towne of Mount-Dedyer in which were a thousand foot and five hundred horse yet upon Sir William Skevingtons Batteries was yeelded to him From hence he removed to Roy where he rested a while with hi● whole Army and there on Alholland-day in the chiefe Church of Roy made Knights the Lord Herbert the Lord Powis Oliver Manners Arthur Poole Richard Sands Robert Ierningham Robert Salisbury Edward Beningfield Richard Corbet Thomas Wentworth William Storton Walter Mantel George Warram and Edward Seymour that was after Duke of Somerset The day after the Army removed to a place called Neele from thence to Veane and then ●o Beauford where the Duke made Iohn Dudley and Robert Vtreight Knights and from thence on the eighth of November to a place called Mount Saint Martin here the Welshmen began to murmure that they might not returne home the winter being so far spent but there was to the number of a thousand persons under the leading of Sir Iohn VValloppe who having no wages but what they could got by booties and were therefore called Adventurers and by some Kreekers and these had more desire to stay then the VVelshmen had to be gon for the great gaines they made by the spoyles of so many Townes that were taken The thirteenth of November the Duke removed to a place within two miles of Boghan Castle defended by great Marishes that lay before it but the frost being at that time so great that many lost their fingers and toes with cold and some died Sir Edward Guildford acquainted the Duke that he thought the marishes were hard enough frozen to beare great Ordnance whereupon the Duke bid him venture it then and goe on which he resolutely did and had the Castle presently delivered up to him In this meane time the King hearing in what state the Army stood had prepared six thousand men to be sent to the Duke for a reliefe under the leading of the Lord Montjoy but before they could be put in order to passe the Sea the Duke partly by extremity of the weather and partly by the murmuring of the Souldiers was constrained to breake up his Army and returne to C●llice In this meane time the Scots knowing that the strength of England was gone into France tooke boldnesse to invade the Marishes but then the Earle of Surrey Treasurer and high Admirall of England with six thousand men being sent against them tooke divers of their Castles and Holds and at Yedworth skirmishing with a great Garrison of Scots overthrew them and tooke and burned both the Towne and Castle And now the French King finding that the Scots did not worke any great trouble to the English whereby to keepe them from molesting of France and thinking it to be for want of the Duke of Albanies presence whom they accounted their Governour he therefore prepared a Navie of Ships to transpo●t him into Scotland but when the Duke of Albany heard that Sir William Fitz-williams was sent with a great Fleet to stop his passage he brought his Ships into the Haven of Brest and gave it out that he would not goe into Scotland that yeere which being told to the King of England he commanded that his Ships also should be laid up in Havens till the next spring And now see the cunning of the Scot for when he saw the Kings Ships discharged he then boldly tooke shipping himselfe and sailed into Sc●tland whither being come he presently levied a great Army and approached the English Borders but when he heard the Earle of Surrey was coming against him with a mighty power he then sent a Her●uld to him● promising of his honour to give him Battaile and if he tooke him prisoner to give him good quarter To whom the Earle answered that he would not faile to abide his Battaile but if he tooke him prisoner the quarter he would give him should be to cut off hi● head and send it for a Present to his Master the King of England At this time to the Earle of Surrey being at Alnewicke came the Earles of Northumberland and VVestmerland the Lords Clifford Dacres Lumley Ogle and Darcye with many Knights Gentlemen and other Souldiers to the number of forty ●housand and from the Court came the Master of the Horse Sir Ni●holas Carew Sir Francis Bryan
that she was his lawfull wife and would abide the Determination of the Court of Rome but of no other After Whitsontide the King and Queen removed to Windsor and there continued till the fourteenth of Iuly on which day the King removed to Woodstocke and left the Queen at Windsor where she remained a while and after removed to Easthamsted whither the King sent to her divers Lords first to perswade her to be conformable to the law of God which if they could not do then to let her know that his pleasure was she should be at either of these three places his Mannor of Oking or of East-hamstead or the Monastery of Bisham and there to continue without further molesting him with her suits And now came Cranmer in to play his part It chanced that Doctor Stephe●s Doctor Foxe and he met at Waltham one day at dinner where falling into discourse about the case then in agitation of the Kings mariage with Queene Katherine the other Doctors thought the mariage might be proved unlawfull by the Civill Law but said Cranmor ● it may better be proved by the Law of God and it is no hard matter to doe it which words of his being made knowne to the King● Cranmor is sent for and commanded to set his reasons down in writing which having done and shewed them to the King he was asked whether he would stand to that which he had written who answered he would even before the Pope himselfe if his Majesty pleased marry said the King and to Pope you shall go and thereupon sent him to the Court of Rome and with him Thomas Bullen Earl of Witshire Doctor Stokesley Elect of London Doct. Lee the Kings Almoner and others who coming to Bolonia where the Pope was had a day of audience appointed but was hindred by a ●●diculous accident for the Pope holding out his foot for them to kisse his toe as the manner is a dog of the Earls by chance in the room ran and caught the Popes foot in his mouth made it for that time unfit to kisse After this when Cranmor had made his Proposition he was told it should be answered when the Pope came to Rome so the Embassadors were dismissed and Cranmor went to the Emperour● Court where in private conference he satisfied Cornelius Agrippa the most learned at that time about the Emperour and brought him to be of his opinion Cranmor returning home and giving the King this satisfaction the Kings mariage with Queen Katherine was soon after dissolved by Parliament and the Bishop of Canterbury accompanied with Doctor Stokesley Bishop of London Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester the Bishop of Bathe and Lincolne and other learned men rode to Dunstable where Queen Katherine then lay where being cited to appeare and making default fifteen dayes togethers for lack of appearance she was divorced from the King and the mariage declared to be void and of none effect and from thenceforth it was decreed she should no more be called Queen but Princesse Dowager after which time the King never saw her more At this time being the foure and twentieth yeer of King Henries reigne Sir Thomas Moore after long suit delivered up the great Seal which was then delivered to Thomas Audeley Speaker of the Parliament and he made first Lord Keeper and shortly after Chancelour in whose roome of Speaker H●nfrey Wing●eld of Grayes-Inne was chosen on the first of September this yeer the King being at Windsor created Anne Bullen Marchionesse of Pembrooke giving her a thousand pounds land a yeere and then being desirous to talke with the King of France in person on the tenth of October taking the said Lady with him and divers Lords as the Dukes of Norfolke and Suffolke the Marquesse of Dorset and Excester the Earles of Arundell Oxford Surrey Essex Derby Rutland Sussex and Huntington with divers Viscounts Barons and Knights he sailed over to Callice and on the twentieth of October me● with the King of France at Bolloigne with whom he staid foure dayes in which time to doe him honour the King of France honored the two Dukes of Norfolke and Suffolke with the Order of Saint Michael and then both Kings went to Callice where the French King stayed certain dayes in which time to doe the King of France honor King Henry honored two of his great Lords with the Order of the Garter and then after great magnificence in revelling feasting on the twentieth of Ostob. the French King departed from Callice and King Henry returned into England where on the fourteenth of November following he maried secretly the Lady Bulle●● which mariage was not openly known till Easter after when it was perceived she was with childe at which time William Warham Archbishop of Canterbury dyed Thomas Cranmor was elected Archbishop in his roome After that the King perceived his new wi●e to be with childe he caused all Officers necessary to be appointed to her and so on Easter eave she went to her closet openly as Queen and then the King appointed her coronation to be kept on Witsunday following and writings were sent to all Sheriffes to certifie the nams of men of forty pounds to receive the order of Knighthood or else to mak● fine the assesment of which ●ines was appointed to Thomas Cromwell Master of of the Jewel-house and of the Kings Councell a man newly come in the King● favour by whose industry great sums of money were by such fines gathered In the beginning of May the King caused Proclamation to be made that all men who claimed to doe any service at the Coronation by the way of tenure gran● or prescription should put in their claime three weekes after Easter in the Star-chamber before Charles Duke of Suffolke for that time high Steward of England the Lord Chancellour and other Commissioners Two dayes before the Coronation were made Knights of the Bath the Earle of Dorset the Ea●le of Der●y the Lord Clifford the Lord Fitzwater the Lord Hastings the Lord Monteagle the Lord Vaux Sir Iohn Mordant Sir Henry Parker Sir William Windsor Sir Francis Weston Sir Thomas Arundell Sir Iohn Hurlson Sir Thomas Poynings Sir Henry Savill Sir George ●itzwilliams Sir Iohn Tindall and Sir Tho I●rmey On Whitsunday the Coronatio● was kept in as great state 〈◊〉 for al circumstances as ever an● was and the day after a solem Just● was ●olden In May this yeer Pope Clement sent a messenger to King Henry requiring him personally to appeare at the generall Councell which he had appointed to be kept the yeer following but when his Commission was shewed there was neither time nor place specified for keeping of the said Councell and so with an uncertain Answer to an uncertain Demand the Messenger departed It was now the five and twentieth yeere of the Kings reigne when on Midsomer day Mary the French Queene and then wife to Charles Duke of Suff●lke dyed and was buried at Saint Edmund-berry and on the seaventh of September
came to Guisnes for the King of England the Earl of Hertford the Bishop of Winchester Sir Iohn Dudley Viscount Lisle Baron of Mawpas and high Admirall of England Sir William Paget the Kings Secretary Doctor Nicholas Wootton Dean of Canterbury For the French King there came to Ard Claude Danebolt Admirall of France the Bishop of Eureux Monsieur Reymond chiefe President of Roan and the Secretary Bouchetell Diverse times they met betwixt Ard and Guisnes and after long debating of matters and diverse breakings off● at length the seventh of Iune a Peace was concluded and proclaimed in the City of London on Whitsunday the thirteenth of Iune by sound of trumpet and the same day in like manner at Paris and Roan the chiefe Article of which Peace was this that the French King paying to the King of England eight hundred thousand Crownes within the terme of eight yeeres should have Bulloigne againe restored to him which in the mean time should remain in possession of the King of England as a pledge for assurance of the said money and now for a full establishment of this Peace the Viscount Lisle Lord Admirall with the Bishop of Duresme and divers other Lords were sent into France to take oath of the French King and of the Dolphin as likewise at the same time divers Lords came from the French King to take oath of King Henry who by the way were met by the yong Prince and many Lords and conducted to the King at Hampton-Court In his seven and thirtieth yeere the three and twentieth of November a Parliament began at VVestmins●er wherein was granted to the King a Subsidie both of Spiritualty and Temporalty and all Colledges Chanteries and Hospitalls were given to him to dispose of the foure and twentieth of December the Parliament was prorogued on which day the King comming to the Parliament House the Speaker made to him an Oration which the Lord Chancelour was used to answere but at this time the King would answer himselfe the effect whereof was that where Master Speaker had commended him for many excellent qualities that were in him he thanked him for it not that he had them but for putting him in mind how necessary it was he should have them then he thanked the whole House for their Subsidie and for giving him the Colleges and Chanteries which hee promised to see bestowed to the glory of God and good of the Realme lastly he ackowledged their love to himselfe but found fault with want of love to one another for what love where there is not concord and what concord when one calleth another Heretick and Anabaptist and he againe calleth him Papist and Hipocrite and this not onely amongst those of the Temporalty but even the Clergy men themselves preach one against another inveigh one against another without Charity or Discretion some be so stiffe in their old mumpsimus and others so curious in their new sumpsimus that few or none Preacheth truly and sincerely the word of God now therfore let this be amended feare and serve God be in Charity amongst your selves to the which I as your supream Head and Soveraigne Lord exhort and require you and this said the Acts were openly read to some he gave his Royall assent and to diverse assented not Whilst oath for the peace was thus taken by both Kings Bulloigne remaining still in King Henries possession Monsieur de Chatillon Captain of Mont-pleasier began to make a new Bastillion at the very mouth of the Haven of Bulloigne naming it Chatillous Garden hereof the Lord Gray of VVilton as then Deputy of Bulloigne advertised the King by Sir Thomas Palmour requiring to know his pleasure whither he should race it as a thing very incommodious to the Town or let it stand the King asked advice of his Counsail who all agreed that the conditions of the peace ought in no wise to be infringed and therefore to let the Bastillian stand whereupon the King caused his Secretary the Lord Paget to write a letter to the Lord Gray to that purpose but then called Sir Thomas Palmour secretly to him bidding him tell the Lord Gray that whatsoever he had written in his letter yet with all speed possible he should race the fortification to the ground Sir Thomas Palmour replying that a message by word of mouth being contrary to his leter would never be beleeved wel said the King do you tell him as I bid you and leave the doing it to his choice upon the comming back of Sir Thomas Palmour the Lord Gray called a counsaile shewing them th● King● letter and withall Sir Thomas Palmours message and then asked their Advise what in this case he should doe who all agreed without any question that the letter was to be followed and not the message to which the Lord Gray himselfe said nothing but caused the message to be wtitten verbatim from Sir Thomas Palmours mouth and those of the Counsaile to set their hands to it this done the night following he issued forth with a company of Armed men and Pioners aud overthrew the fortification to the ground a●d then sent Sir Thomas Palmour with letters to the King who as soon as he saw him asked aloud what will he doe it or no Sir Thomas Palmour delivering his letter said your Majesty shall know by these but then the King halfe angry nay tell me saith he wil he doe it or no being then told it was done and the fortification clean raced he turned to his Lords and said what say you my Lords to this Chatillous Garden is raced to the ●loore whereto one presently answered that he that had done it was worthy to loose his head to which the King streightl● replyed that he would rather lose a dozen such heads as his was that so J●dged then one such servants as had done it and therewith commanded the Lord Grays pardon should presently be drawn the which he sent vvith letters of great thanks and promise of reward the cause why the King took this course was this lest if he written the racing of the Fortification in his letter it might have come t● the French-mens knowledge before it could have been done and so have been prevented and by this may be taken a scantling of King Henries great Capacitie It is now the eight and thirtieth yeere of his reigne when about Michaelmas Thomas Duke of Norfolke and Henry Earle of Surrey his Sonne and heire upon certaine surmises of treason were committed to the Tower of London and the thirteenth of Ianuary the King then lying at the point of death the said Earle was arraigned in the Guild-hall before the Lord Major the Lord Chauncellour and other Lords there in Commission the speciall matter wherewith he was charged was the bearing of certaine Armes that were said to belong to the King and to the Prince though the Earle justified the bearing of them as belonging to divers of his Ancestours affirming withall that he had the opinion
Bishop of London late restored and there in presence for a Sermon by him made foure yeeres before in the same place and upon the same Text had unjustly beene cast into the vile prison of the Marshalsey which Speech so offended some of the Auditory that they cried Pull him downe pull him downe and had certainly done him violence for a Dagger was throwne at him if Master Bradford a Protestant Preacher had not stept into his place and appeased the tumult and Master Rogers another Protestant Minister who were both afterward burnt for Religion had not shifted away Bourne into Pauls Schoole Hitherto Queene Maries reigne had beene without blood but now the Cataracts of seventy will be opened that will make it raine blood for now on the eighteenth of August Iohn Dudley Duke of Northumberland VVilliam Parre Marquesse of Northampt●n and Iohn Earle of VVarwicke so●ne and heire to the Duk were arraigned at VVestminster-hall before Thomas Duke of N●●folke as high Steward of England where the Duke of Northumberland after his Indictment read required the opinion of the Court in two points first whither a man doing any Act by authority of the Princes Couns●●le and by warrant of the great Seale of England might for any such Act be charged with treason secondly whither any such persons as were equally culpable and by whose commandements he was directed might be his Judges and passe upon his triall whereunto was answered that concerning the first the great Seale which he alleaged for his warrant was not the Seale of the lawfull Queene of the Realm but of an Usurper and therfore could be no warrant for him and as to the second it was resolved that if any were as deeply to be touched in the case as himself yet so long as no Attainder were of record against them they were persons able in law to passe ●pon his triall and not to be challenged but at the Princes pleasure After which answers the Duke used few words but confessed the Indictment and accordingly had judgment to dye By whose example the other prisoners arraigned with him confessed the Indictments and therupon had judgment the ninteenth of August Sir Andrew Dudley Sir Iohn and Sir Henry Gates brethren and Sir Thomas Palmer Knights were arraigned at VVestminster who c●nfessing their Indictments had judgment which was pronounced by the Marquesse of VVinchester Lord high Treasu●er sitting that day as chiefe Justice after these condemnations followed the executions for on the two and twentieth of August Iohn Duke of Northum●erland was brought to the Tower-hill and there beheaded being upon the scaffold in a gowne of green coloured damaske he put it off and then made a long Speech wherein he asked the Queen forgivenesse whom he acknowledged to have grievously offended and then making profession of his Faith that he died a true Catholick meaning a Papist he said the Psalmes of Miserere and De Profundis the Pater noster and six of the first verses of the Psalme In te Domine speravi ending with this verse Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit and this said he looked about him as looking for a Pardon but none comming he laid his head downe upon the blocke and at one blow had it strucken off his body with the head was buried in the Tower by the body of Edward late Duke of Somerset mortall enemies while they lived but now lying together as good friends so as there lyeth before the high Altar in Saint Peters Church ●wo Dukes between two Queens namely the Duke of Somerset and the Duke of Northumberland between Queen Anne and Queene Katherine all foure beheaded Of what religion this Duke was may well be doubted seeing at his death he professed himself a Papist when lately before he had importuned King Edward to make the Lady Iane his successour lest the Papall religion should be restored it seems he was not greatly of either but for other ends a Protestant then when it was to make his daughter in law Queen now a Papist when it was to save his life for it was thought he had Pardon promised if he would recant At the same time and place were beheaded Sir Iohn Gates and Sir Thomas Palmer who were no such temporizers but persisted and dyed in the Protestant Religion which they had alwayes professed After this a sprinkling of mercy came from the Queene for on the third of September the Lord Ferrers of Chartley the two chiefe Justices Sir Roger Cholmley and Mountague Sir Iohn Cheeke and others were delivered out of the Tower whether before they had been committed but a shower of severity followed soon after for on the fifteenth of September Master Latimer and Doctor Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury were sent to the Tower and on the third o● November following the said Archbishop Cranmer the Lady Iane late Queene and the Lord Guildford her husband with the Lords Ambrose and Henry sonnes to the late Duke of Northumberland were all arraigned at the Guild-hall found guilty and had judgement to dye All this while Queen Mary had contented her selfe to be Queene by Proclamation but now that things were something setled she proceeds to her Coronation for on the last of September she rode in her Chariot through London towards VVestminster in this order first rode a number of Gentlemen and Knights then Doctors then Judges then Bishops then Lords then the Councell after whom followed the Knights of the Bath thirteene in number in their Robes then the Bishop of VVinchester Lord Chancellour and the Marquesse of VVinchester Lord high Treasurer next came the Duke of Norfolke and after him the Earle of Oxford who bore the sword then the Major of Lond●n in a Gowne of Crimson Velvet who bore the Scepter of Gold after came the Queenes Chariot and then followed another Chariot wherein sat the Lady Elizabeth her sister and the Lady Anne of Cleeve and then came Ladies and Gentlewomen riding on horses trapped with red velvet c. In this order they came through London to VVestminster where in many places by the way were Pagents and stately shewes and many rich presents given to the Queene The next day she went by water to the old Palace and remained there till eleven of the clock and then went on foot upon blew cloth being railed on either side to Saint Peters Church where she was Crowned and Anointed by the Bishop of VVinchester the two Archbishops being then in the Tower with all Rites and Ceremonies of old accustomed After her Coronation a generall pardon was published in her name but interlaced with so many exceptions of matters and persons that very few tooke benefit by it for after the pardon published there were Commissioners assigned to compound with such persons as were excepted from some of whom they tooke away their Fees and Offices some they fi●ed and some they deprived of their estates and livings About this time Sir Iames Hales one of the Justices of the Common Pleas who
and with it the Towne also had beene taken but that Sir Anthony Ager with the losse of his owne life and his eldest sonnes valiantly defended it and for that time repelled the French but their numbers increased so fast upon the Towne that the Lord Wentworth the Deputy seeing no other way of safty demanded Parlee where a composition was made that the Towne should presently be yeelded to the French King the lives of the Inhabitants onely saved with safe conduct to passe away saving the Lord Deputy with fifty other such as the Duke should name And here to be quit with the English for their hard usage at Saint Quintins the Duke caused Proclamation to be made that all and every person of the Towne should bring their money jewels and plate to the value of a groat and lay it downe upon the high Altar of the Church by which meanes an inestimable sum of treasure was there offered enough ●o enrich an Army which had before enriched a Towne and now to make it appeare how unable the Towne was to hold out against so great an Army It is said there were in it but onely five hundred souldiers of ordinary and scarce two hundred more of able fighting men but of other people men women and children foure thousand and two hundred all which were suffered to depart saving the Lord We●tworth the Deputy Sir Ralph Chamberlaine Captaine of the Castle Iohn Hu●●ston Captaine of Ricebruke Nicholas Alex●nder Captain of New●hambridge Edward Grimston the Controlour Iohn Rogers the Surveyour with others to the number of fifty who were al caried prisoners into France And thus Callice which had bin in possession of the English above two hundred yeers was won from the English in eight dayes which King Edward the third had not won from the French in lesse then a yeer The Lord Wentworth was suspected and in Queen Elizabeths time arraigned for betraying it was acquitted by his Peeres Callice thus won the Duke with his Army marched to Guysnes five miles distant whereof was Captaine the Lord Gray of Wilton who held out the siedge and batteries five or six dayes with so great valour and resolution that he appeared in nothing inferiour to the Enemy but in multitude yet a● last overlaid with their numbers and importunde by his souldiers much again●● his owne will he made composition that the Towne and Castle should be wholly rendered himselfe and all Officers remaine prisoners all other to depart with their Armour and Baggage The Lord Gray afterward ransomed for foure and twenty thousand crownes And now the Duke of Guise considering that Guysnes would be too costly a Castle to be kept and too dangerous a neighbour to Callice if it should be recovered raced it with the Bulwarkes and Fortifications to the ground Guysnes thus won there remained nothing within the English pale but the little Castle of Hammes whereof was Captaine the Lord Edward Dudley who considering that though it were naturally strongly scituate as being invironed with Fens and Marshes yet it had but little helpe● by Art of Fortifications and being assured that the Duke of Guyse would speedily come upon him he secretly in the night with all his garrison departed into Flanders so as the Castle was not won but taken by the Duke of Guyse and with the losse of this Castle the English lost all their footing in Terra firma and the Kings of England all the reality of their Title in France having nothing left but nudum nomen Presently after this the French King caused the mariage between his eldest sonne Francis the Dolphin and Mary Steward sole heire of Iames the fift King of Scotland to be solemnized whereupon great wars insued soon after between England and Scotland Queen Mary being infinitely troubled in minde for the losse of Callice sent presently forth her Admirall the Lord Clinton with a Fleet of more then a hundred sayle to recover at lest reparation in honour by doing some exploit upon France who not finding opportunity to set upon Brest as he was appointed fell upon the towne of Conquest which he tooke and bur●t and also divers Villages thereabouts and then returned In which meane time many great conflicts having been between King Phillip and the King of France at last by mediation of the Dutchesse of Lorraigne a treaty of Peace is agreed on where all things seemed to be well accorded but onely that King Phillip by all meanes required restitution of Callice to which by no means the French would assent but whilst they stood upon these termes it happened that first the Emperour Charles King Phillips father dyed and shortly after Queene Mary and the day after her Cardinall Poole and shortly after Sir Iohn Baker of Sissingherst in Kent who had been a Privie Councellour to Henry the eight Edward the sixth a●d Queen Mary And so our Story hath no further relation to either War or Peace between the two Kings of France and Spaine Of her Taxations SHEE began with a rare Example for in the first yeer of her Reign wa● pardoned by Proclamation the Subsidie of foure shillings the pound of Land and two shillings the pound of goods granted in the last Parliament of King Edward the sixth In her second yeer in a Parliament then holden was granted to the King and Queen a Subsidie of the Layitie from five pounds to ten pounds of eight pence in the pound from ten pounds to twenty pounds of twelve pence in the pound and from twenty pounds upwards sixteen pence in the pound all Strangers double and the Clergie six shillings in the pound If this were all then upon the matter in all her time there came to new charge upon her people for one Subsidie r●mit●ed and one received made but even In her last yeer she borrowed twenty thousand pounds of the City of London and paid twelve pounds a yeer interest for every ●undred pou●d Lawes and Ordinances in her time IN her first yeere on the fourth of September were proclaimed certaine new Coynes of gold and silver a Soveraigne of gold of thirty shillings the halfe Soveraigne fifteene shillings an Angell often shillings the halfe Angell five shillings Of silver the groat the halfe groat and penny all these Coynes to be currant as before In her second yeer Proclamation was made forbidding the shooting in Hand-guns and bearing of weapons The yeer in which she was married to King Phillip a straight charge was to all Victuallers Taverners and Alehouse-keepers that they should sell no Meat nor Drinke nor any kinde of Victuals to any Serving-man whatsoever unlesse he brought a testimoniall to shew whole servant he was Also in a Parliament holden this yeere amongst other Acts the Statute Ex Officio and other Lawes made for the punishment of Heresies were revived but chiefly the Popes Bull of Dispensation of Abbey Land was there confirmed In her second yeere on Michaelmas Eeven the Prisoners that lay in the Counter in Bredstreet were removed
his fault shall deserve The Bishop alle●dged for himself That he had not violated the Right of ●n Ambassadour Via Iuris but V●● Fact● to use his own words and therefore adviseth them not to use harder measure to him then was used to the English Ambassadours 〈…〉 in France R●ndoll and T●mwo●th in Scotland who had raised Rebellions there and were open Abettors of the same and yet had no greater punishment then to be gone at a time limitted When they began to urge him what the English had testified against him he lovingly requested them to give no credit to it● forasmuch as by a received Custome which hath the force of a Law The Testimony of an English man against a Scot or of a Scot against an English man is not to be admitted but after some other altercations the Bishop is led away to the Tower and kept close prisoner At this very season Matthew Earl of Lenox Regent of Sco●●and the Kings Grand-father was by the adverse party set upon at unawares who having yeelded himself to David Spense of Wormester that was then very carefull to defend him together with him was slain by Bell and C●ulder when with great industry he had governed the Kingdom for his Grand-childe about fourteen months In whose room Iohn Areskin Earl of Mar●e by common consent of the Kings Faction was chosen Regent of Scotland who being a man of a quiet disposition through extreme grief of the m●ny troubles he sustained in the place departed this life when he had governed thirteen months And now a Parliament was held at Westminster wherein besides a Law for preventing of the treacherous endeavours of seditious subjects another Law was made That if any one during the Queens life by Books written or printed shall expressely affirm That any i● or ought to be the Heir or Successor of the Queen besides the naturall Off-sp●ing of her Body or shall to that purpose publish print or dispers● any Book or Schedules he and his favour●rs shall for the first offence suffer a yeers imprisonment and the losse of one half of his goods and if they offend again they shall be in a Pr●munir● A Law also was made by which to be reconciled to the Sea of Rome was made Treason and it was pronounced against the Queen of Scots That if she offended again against the Laws of England it might be lawfull to question her as the wife of a Peer of the Kingdom of England But here the Queen interposed her Authority and would not suffer it to be enacted About this time in May a solemn Tilting was performed at Westminster where th● Challengers were Edward Earl of Oxford Charles Howard Sir Henry Lee and Chri●●●pher Hatt●n Esquire who all did valiantly but the Earl of Oxford best Assoon as the Parliament was dissolved a Consultation was held Whe●her Iohn Story Doctor of the Laws the Duke D'Alva's Searcher who somtime before was by a wile brought into England being an Englishman born and having in Bra●ant consulted with a for●aign Prince about the invading of England were to be held guilty of high Treason It was resolved a●firmatively whereupon he is called to the Bar and indicted of Treason● That he had consulted with one Pres●all a Conjurer to make away the Queen That he cursed her dayly when he said Grace at Table That he shewed a way to the Secretary of Duke D'Alva how to invade England c. where he affirming That the Judges had no power to meddle with him for that he b●longed not to the Queen of England but was the King of Spain's sworn subject● is neverthelesse condemned by the Fo●m of Nihil dicit forasmuch as no man can renounce the Country wherin he was born nor abjure his Prince at his own pleasure and finally executed after the manner of Tray●ors Ireland at this time was indifferent quie● for Sir Iohn Perot President of Munster had brought Iames Fitz Morris to submit himself and crave pardon Sidney the Lord Deputy returned into England and Sir William Fitz Williams who had marryed his sister succeeded in his room It was now the fifteenth yeer of Queen Elizabeths Raign when Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk on the sixteenth day of Ianuary was brought to his Tryall at Westminster-Hall where sate as Commissioners George Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury made High Steward of England for that day Reynold Grey Earl of Kent Thomas Ratcliff Earl of Sussex Henry Hastings Earl of Huntington Francis Russell Earl of Bedford Henry Herbert Earl of Pembr●●k Edward Seymor Earl of Hertford Ambrose Dudley Earl of Warwick Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester Walter Devereux Viscount of Hereford Edward Lord Clinton Admirall William Lord Howard of Effingham Chamberlain William Cecill Lord Burley Secretary Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton Iames Blunt Lord Mountjoy William Lord Sands Thomas Lord Wentworth William Lord Borough Lewis Lord Mordant Iohn Pawlet Lord St. Iohn of B●sing Robert Lord Rich Roger Lord North Edmund Bruges Lord Ch●ndois Oliver Lord St. Iohn of Bl●tsho Thomas Sackvile Lord Buckhurst and William West Lord de la Ware After silence bidden Sir Owen Hopton Lievtenant o● the Tower is commanded to bring the Duke to the Bar and then the Clerk of the Crown said Thomas Duke of Norfolk late of Keningale in the County of Norfolk Hold up thy hand which done the Clerk with a loud voyce readeth the crimes laid to his charge That in the eleventh yeer of the Queens Raign he had trayterously consulted to make her away and to bring in forraign Forces for invading the Kingdom Also That he dealt with the Queen of Scots concerning Marriage contrary to his promise made to the Queen under his hand writing Also That he relieved with money the Earls of Northumberland and Westmerland that had stirred up Rebellion against the Queen Also That in the thirteenth yeer of the Queens Raign he implored Auxiliary Forces of Pope Pius the fifth the Queens professed enemy of the King of Spain and the Duke D'Alva for the freeing of the Queen of Scots and restoring of the Popish Religion And lastly That he sent supply to the Lord Heris and other the Queens enemies in Scotland These Indictments being read the Clerk demanded of the Duke if he were guilty of these crimes or not Here the Duke requested he might be allowed to have Counsell But Catiline chief Justice made answer That it was not lawfull Yet saith the Duke I have heard that Humphrey Stafford in the Raign of K. Henry the seventh in a Cause of Treason had one assigned to plead for him To which Dyer chief Justice of the Common-Pleas made answer That Stafford had Counsell assigned him concerning the Right of Sanctuary from whence he was taken by force● but in the Inditement of Treason he pleaded his own cause After this the Duke yeelding to be tryed by the Peers first Barham Serjeant at Law then Gerard the Queens Atturney and lastly Bromley the Queens Solicitor enforced the crimes objected against him to
board and carryed away a great deale of Gold but the Vessell and Ordnance was wreck to the Governour of Calice Drake and Fencz in the mean while perceiving the Spanish Fleet to gather togethea again before Graveling set upon them with great violence to whom str●ightwayes Fenton Southwell Beeston Crosse and Riman joyne themselves and soon after the Admirall himself Sir Thomas Howard and the Lord Sheffield the Galleon called Saint Matthew was sorely battered by Seymor and Winter driven toward Ostend and set upon again by the Zelanders and at last was taken by the Flushingers And now the Spanish Navy having want of many nec●ssaries and no hope of the Prince of Parma's coming they resolved to returne Northward for Spain in which passage they lost both many Ships and men the English Navy still following them close till they were faine to give them over for want of Powder Whilest these things passed at Sea the Queen ●n Person came to Tilbury to view the Army and Campe there where she shewed such undaunted Courage and Resolution that it wonderfully animated the spirits of them all And thus this Navy which was three whole Yeers in preparing in the space of a month was often beaten and at length put to flight many of their men being slain more then halfe of their Ships taken and sunk of the English not above a hundred at the most missing nor so much as a Ship but Cocks little Vessell and Sayling about all Brittaine by Scotland the Orkeneys and Ireland they returned into Spain with as much dishonour as they came out with boasting for indeed Mendoza in France by a Book in Print Triumphed before the Victory For the happy successe of this Action Queen Elizabeth appointed prayers and thanksgiving over all the Churches of England and she as it were in triumph came in Person attended with a great Troop of the Nobility into the City and went into the Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul where the Banners taken from the Enemy was placed in view and there in most humble manner gave thanks to Almighty God And ●hat which increased the publike joy was the newes which Sir Robert Sidney brought out of Scotland That the King had over-past all injuries was lovingly affected towards the English and desired to imbrace sincere and perfect amitie with the Queen For as for the King of Spain he wittily told the Embassadour that he expected no other courtesie from him but such as Polyphemus promised Ulisses that he should be the last whom he would devoure And now dyed the great Earl of Leicester the fourth day of September at his Mannor of Killingworth of a violent Feaver I may well say the great Earl considering the many great Honours he enjoyed which are extant in the Story yet one honour greater then any he had before he effected even then when he was ready to go out of the world and that was● To be Vice-gerent in the high Government of England and Ireland for which the Patent was already drawne and had been sealed but that Burleigh and Hatton shewed the Queen how dangerous a thing it might prove for so great Authority to reside in one Subject He was while he lived in so great favour with the Queen that some thought and himselfe not the least that she meant to marry him yet when he dyed his goods were sold at an Outcry to make payment of the debts he owed her About this time Philip Earl of Arundell who three yeers before had been cast in prison was now cited in Westminster Hall to the judgement of his Peers and Henry Earl of Derby was made High Steward of England for the time The matters layd to his charge were these That he had contracted friendship with Cardinall Allen Parsons the Jesuite and other Traytours exciting divers both abroad and at home to restore the Romish Religion promising his assistance thereunto and for that reason had a purpose to depart the Kingdom That he was privy to the Bull in which Pope Sixtus Quintus had deposed the Queen and given England to the Spaniard that being imprisoned in the Tower he caused Masse to be said for the prosperous successe of the Spanish Fleet and for that purpose had framed peculiar prayers for his own private use Being demanded whether he were guilty of these things turning himself to the Judges he asked them these questions First whether it were lawfull to heap up so many crimes together in one Bill of Indictment They answered that it was Then whether Arguments taken from presumptions were of force They answered that it was lawfull for him to interpose exceptions if he saw cause Then again if he might be Arraigned for those things which were Capitall by the Law made the thirteenth yeer of the Queen after that the time expressed in the Act was expired They promised they would proceed against him by no Law but the old Statute of Treason made in the Raigne of King Edward the Third But now again asked if he were guilty or not● He pleaded not guilty whereupon Puckening the Queens Sergeant at Law Popham Atturney Generall Shuttleworth Sergeant at Law and Egerton the Queens Sollicitour in their turnes urged and proved the crimes objected some whereof he denyed some he extenuated but in conclusion was by his Peers found guilty and condemned yet the Queen spared his life and was content with thus much done in terror to the Papists It was now the yeer 1589. And the two and thirtieth of Queen Eliza●eths Raign when to be in some sort revenged of the Spaniards for their invasion she gave leave to Sir Iohn Norris and Sir Francis Drake to under●ake an Expedition at their own private charges requiring nothing of her but a few Ships of War who took along with them Anthony the bastard laying clayme to the Kingdom of Portingall and of Souldidrs to the number of eleven thousand of Sea-men about fifteen hundred setting Sayle from Plimmouth the fifth day of Aprill they arrived at the Groyne in Ga●acia whereof with great valour they took first the Lower town and afterward the Higher and from thence sayling toward Portingall they met Robert Earl of Essex who without the Queens leave had put to Sea After two dayes they arrive at Penycha a Town of Portingall which they took and left the Castle to Don-Antonio and from thence they march by land towards Lisbon threescore miles off The Foot Companies led by Norris whom Drake promised to follow with the Fleet. Being come to the West Suburbs of Lisbon they found no body there but a few poor disarmed Portugalls who cryed out God save King Antonio The day following the Spaniards made a sayle out in which Skirmish Bret Caresley and Carre stout Commanders were slain yet did the Earl of Essex drive the Spaniards to the very gates of the Citie And now having tarryed here two dayes and seeing no signe of the Portingalls revolting which Don-Anthonio had assured them would be finding fresh supplies come
offended that credit should be given to such a one and themselv●s neglected she raised Thomas Smith the customer from thirteen thous●nd pounds yeerly to two and forty thousand pounds and at last to fifty thousand It was now the yeer 1590. and the three and thirtieth of Queen Elizabeths Raigne in which the Earl of Cumberland made a Voyage to the Indies where he laid levell to the ground the Fort of the Isle of ●iala and brought away eight and fifty Pieces of great Ordnance This yeer was fatall to many Noble personages first dyed Ambrose Dudley Earl of Warwick son to Iohn Duke of Northumberland without issue After him Sir Francis Walsingham Secretary a man more skilfull in the Politicks then in the Oeconomicks more cunning in managing matters of the publick State then of his own private estate which he left so mean and dyed so much indebted that he was fain to be buryed by night without a●y Funerall pomp in the Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul leaving behinde him one onely daughter famous for her three husbands all of them the goodliest men of their time the first Sir Philip Sidney the second Robert Earl of Essex the third Richard Burgh Earl of Clanricard by King Charls made Earl of Saint Albans Within two Moneths after W●lsingham dyed Sir Thomas Randol● who had been fourteen times sent in Embassage to severall Princes yet was never rewarded with any greater dignities then the Chamberlainship of the Exchequer and the Postmastership of England Soon after him dyed Sir Iohn Crof●s who had done good service in Scotland in Edward the sixths time in Queen Mary's time was condemned of high Treason in Queen Elisabeths time set at liberty and made Comptroller of her house After him dyed George Talbot the seventh E. of Shrewsbury of this house he was made Earl Marshall of England and left behinde him a memoriall of Wisdom and Integrity Lastly dyed Thomas Lord Wentworth the last of the English that had been Governour of Calice In Ireland at this time Hugh Gaveloc so called because he had been long kept in Fetters the naturall son of Shan O Neale accused Hugh Earl of Tir-Oen for holding private consultations with certain Spaniard who in 88 were by Shipwrack cast upon the coast of Ireland Tir-Oen to prevent the Accusation took the said Hugh and when others refused to do it took a cord and with his own hands strangled him Hereupon he was sent for into England and came and upon pardon obtained solemnly undertook in presence of the Queen at Greenwich to maintain the peace with Turlogh Leynigh Not to usurpe the Title of O-Neale nor any authority over the Gentry about him to reduce the Territory of Tir-Oen to the form of a County and civil behaviour and many such matters giving hostages for his true performance and indeed for a time he observed all things very duly This trouble allayed another arose for soon after this Hugh Roe Mac-Mahon a Potentate in the Territory of Monaghan compelled those under his jurisdiction to pay him tribute whereupon the Deputy caused him to be taken and tryed by a Jury of common Souldiers and then to be hanged up dividing his lands amongst certain English and some of the Mac-Mahons reserving a certain yeerly Rent to the Crown of England by this means thinking to extinguish the Power and Title of Mac-Mahon But hereupon O-Rork fearing hee should be served in like manner took up Arms against the Queen whom Bingham President of Connacht soon distressed and drave into Scotland and at the Queens request was by the King delivered up into his hands It was now the yeer 1591. and the Four and thirtieth of Queen Elisabeths Raign when she carefull lest Britain should come into the Spaniards hands sent Edmund York into France to advertise the King to take care thereof and promising to send him Forces to that end if he would some Towns where they might be in safety Hereupon he named Cherburg Granvile or Brest as the fittest and it was agreed that Three thousand English should be sent into Brittainy and Picardy but in the mean time Henry Palmer was sent to Sea with certain Ships who seized upon Thirteen Spanish Ships as they were returning from Nova Francia And now Roger Williams with a Company of Six hundred Souldiers passeth over to Diepe in Normandy and Sir Iohn Norris with the rest of the Forces hasted into Britain soon after Roger Williams with his own Six hundred and the help of Charter Governour of Diepe put to rout the Confederates that had blocked up the passages whose valour the French King in his Letters to the Queen highly extolled Whereupon growing more couragious and not minding his charge which was to stay at Diepe he accompanyed the King to the very Suburbs of Paris where in honour of his Nation he sent a Challenge to the Spaniards to encounter Two hundred Pikemen of the English and a hundred Musquetiers with as many Spaniards in open Field After this the King of France acquainted the Queen that he had a purpose to set upon Roan or New-haven before the Prince of Parma should come into France and thereupon requested her to send Four thousand English into Normandy which upon certain conditions she willingly did and sent them under the Command of Robert Earl of E●sex accompanyed with Sir Thomas Leighton and Sir William Killegrew as his Counsellours When the Earl came into France he found that the King was at Noyon and in Normandy no preparation for the War at all which seemed strange and much troubled him but by and by Sir Roger Williams comes to him from the King requesting him to come to Noyon that they might confer concerning a course of War Thither the Earl made a tedious journey and being come thither the King told him he was now of necessity to go himself into Champaigne but promiseth to send Marshall Biron and the Duke of Montpensier forthwith to him to lay siege to Roan Hereupon the Earl returned to his Tents expecting their coming but neither of th●m ●●me which troubled the Earl more then before so as being weary now 〈◊〉 doing nothing he made himself one approach to Roan where hi● Brother W●lt●● Devereux was unfortunately slain Indeed the affairs of the ●ing of Fr●nce were at this time upon so uncertain terms that before he could ●●t 〈◊〉 h● had resolved something still intervened that diverted him for which by his Letters he excused himself to the Queen of England and by the mediation of the Ea●l and Mornay Lord du Plessie whom to that end he sent into England obtained new supplies and then besieged Roan At this time was memorable the prodigious cariage of one Hacket born at Oundale in Northamptonshire a mean fellow of no learning whose first prank was this That when in shew of Reconciliation to one with whom he had been at variance he imbraced him he bit off his Nose and the man desiring to have his Nose again that it might
persons but afterward all sorts of men without any difference were admitted that it came almost to bee doubted whether the Dignity of the Order did more grace the persons or the meanesse of the persons disgrace the Order and indeed when the Lawes of an Institution are not in some measure observed it seemes to make a kind of nullity in the collation About this time on Sunday the ●4 of October an exemplar pennance was imposed upon Sir Peck●all Br●●kas Knight which was to stand at Pauls Crosse in a white sheet holding a stick in his hand having been formerly convicted before the high Commissioners for many notorious Adulteries with divers women This yeare 1614. in the month of Iuly Christianus King of Denmark out of his love to his sister and King Iames came the second time into England but as being now secure of himselfe privately and with a small company so as he came to the Queen at Somerset house unexpected and before any knowledge was had of his comming but K. Iames being then in progresse in Bedford-shire and hearing of it came presently back and after he had entertained him here with Hunting Hawking running at Ring Bear-baiting Plays Fire-works● and Fencing on the first of August Prince Charles brought him aboard his Ship who then took his leave and returned home In Octob. this yeare was a call of Sarjeants at Law being 11. in number namely George Wild Wil Towes Rich● Bawtrie Henry Finch Th●● Chamberlain Francis Mo●r● Thomas Attow Iohn Mo●re Francis Harvie Charles Chibbourn and Tho. Richardson and in Trenity Terme before there had two other been called namely Sir Randal Cre● of Lincol●s Inne and Sir Robert Hitcham of Grayes Inne Knights About this time an Embassador came from the young Emperour of Russia to King Iames desiring his continuall love and amity and to be a means of making attoneme●● between him and the K. of Swethland and withall presented him with a rich present of Furs which was no smal honour to the K. of great Britain to have so great a Potentate as the Emperor of Russia a solicit him to be his mediator Though King Iames out of all naturall goodnesse was addicted to peace yet out of providence he neglected not to be prepared for war and thereupon in the yeare 1610. had granted priviledges to a society called of the Millitarie Garden and this year 1614 caused a Muster of men to be presented before him which was performed to his great liking and to the great commendation of the City About this time a memorable Act was performed by M. Hug. Middleton Citizen and Gold-smith of London and borne in Den●igh-shire who having an Act of Parliament for his Warrant with infinite cost and indefatigable labour brought water to the City of London from the two great springs of Chadwell and Amwell in Hartfort-shire having cut a Channell from thence to a place neere Islington whither he conveyed it to a large Pan and from thence in pipes of young Elmes to all places of the City for as the Poeth saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nothing is so commodious for the life of man as water Another memorable Act was about this time done on the North side on Lon. called Moore-fields which being before invironed with deep stinking ditches and noysome common showers was now not only made faire sweet but so levelled into walkes and let with trees that it is the pleasantest place of all the City The next yeare being 1615 another memorable Act for the benefit and beauty of the City of London was performed for Smith-field which was before a rude dirty place was now paved all over and strong railes sequestring the middle part of it were set up to make it a faire walking place and fit for Market or any other use The Lady Arbella a neare kinsewoman of the Kings had sometime before without the Kings privity secretly married Master William Seymour younger son of the Earle of Hartford now Earle of Hartford himselfe for which they were both committed to the Tower and now this yeare on the seven and twentieth day of Sep. she ended her lif there and was buried in the Chappell Royall at Westminster This yeare also in Iuly were Enstalled Knights of the Garter Francis Earle of Rutland Sir George Villers Master of the Horse and Sir Robert Sidney Viscount Lis●● and in another kind of Honour the Earle of Arundell the Lord Carews and Doctor Andrews Bishop of Ely were sworne Privie Counsellours Wales by the death of Prince Henry had been a good while without a Prince and now to supply that place Prince Charles is Created Prince of Wales In Ioy whereof the Town of Ludlow in Shropshire and the City of London performed great Triumphs and the more to honour his Creation There were made five and twenty Knights of the Bathe all them Lords or Barons sons and yet more to honour it there were forty selected Gentlemen of the Innes of Court that performed a solemne Iusts at Barries with great magnificence This yeare was a Censure of divers great Delinquents for first Sir Edward Cook● was upon displeasure discharged from being Lord Chiefe Justice of the Kings Bench and two dayes after his discharge Sir Henry Montag●e the Kings Sergeant at Law was placed in his room Next to him the Lord Egerton whyther disabled by sicknesse or age to exercise the place or upon displeasure also had the Sele taken from him which was delivered to Sir Francis Bacon the King's Attourney he made first Lord Keeper and the Lord Egerton dying soon after Lord Chancellour Not long after him Sir Henry Yelverton the Kings Attourney for adding new priviledges to the Londo●ers Charter without the Kings privity was in displeasure put from his place and in his room was placed Sir Thomas Coventry the Kings Sollicitor But awhile after Sir Henry ●elverton was made a puny Iudge of the Common Pleas having indeed the reputation of an excellent Lawyer And yet this work of Censuring stayed not here for much about this time Thomas Earle of Suffolk Lord Treasurer of England had the staffe of his Office taken from him which was soon after delivered to Sir Henry Montag●● Lord Chiefe Iustice of the Kings Be●ch If Sir Iohn Benet Iudge of the Prerogative Court had made a little more haste he mihght have made one in this number of Delinquents but he came short three or foure yeares and then being charged by his own servant with brybery he was put from his place and censured in the Starre-Chamber to pay twenty thousand pounds and in his roome was placed Sir William Byrde a man of more integrity Though King Iames upon the death of Queene Elizabeth came to reside in England yet ●e forgot not that Scotland was his native Countrey and therefore after he had spent some yeares in England to acquaint himselfe with the State of the Kingdome In March this yeare one thousand six hundred and sixteent● he made a Iourney into Scotland for though